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

nice writeup

Chris A. Kaufman, CPA

On Tue, Feb 27, 2024 at 3:19 PM Jesse Elicker <jesse.elicker@comcast.net> wrote:

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.

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.

Tigers take 3 of 4 from Brew Crew

Detroit takes three of four in a spirited series. Detroit is looking solid with an 11-5 mark, while Milwaukee could be dubbed “Mid-waukee” with its 8-8 mark.

 

Game 1 - Det 6, Mil 4

Hitters had the upper hand in game one, with a combined 21 hits. An eighth inning power stroke was the winning maneuver for the home team in game one.

Milwaukee struck quickly in the first, manufacturing a run. Detroit countered with a tally in the bottom half courtesy of two Milwaukee errors.

The Brewers plated two in the second off an RBI double from Jim Gantner and a Paul Molitor single. Detroit took the lead in the third, plating three and sending seven batters to the plate. Alan Trammell and Larry Herndon rapped RBI singles, and Wockenfuss hit a sac fly.

A single from Pat Listach tied the game in the sixth.

In the eighth, a solo homer from John Wockenfuss gave Detroit the lead. Enos Cabell added an insurance run with an RBI single.

The late Detroit rally allowed Auerlio "Senor Smoke" Lopez to nail down the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Starter Jaime Navarro did not have his A game, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) in 6 2/3 IP. Glenn Abbott in his season debut had a no-decision for the Detroiters, giving up 4ER in 5 1/3 IP.

Dave Rozema pitched 2.2 innings and picked up the win: 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 BB, 0 K. He's 1-1 on the season.

 

Game 2 - Mil 8, Det 2

Milwaukee gave Detroit the business in game two, bullying the Tigers on the bases and on the mound. Although the moon was in a waning gibbous on September 2, 1977, the on-field gameplay resembled something during a full moon.

Like game one, both teams traded a run in the first in trademark fashion. Milwaukee's score was manufactured via a sac fly, while Detroit tallied theirs on a leadoff homer from Lou Whitaker.

Milwaukee stormed for three runs in the top of the third -- all after the first two batters of the inning were retired.

In the bottom-half of the third, Brewers’ pitcher Bill Wegman either lost control of the zone, or was setting a vendetta with the Tigers. With one out, Lou Whitaker Walked. Alan Trammell struck out, then Chet Lemon was hit by a pitch. A couple of pitches later, Glenn Wilson was hit by a pitch as well.

Wilson would not allow this aggression to stand and charged the mound. Wegman and Wilson were ejected. The Detroit crowd was apoplectic, littering the field with souvenir cups. Detroit manager Gerald Alexander couldn’t get a Detroit player to take the field to pinch-run for the ejected Wilson.

After a discussion from the Commissioner of KOD, Ernie Harwell went to the public address announcer booth and made a quick plea.

“Will the next person who sees ANYBODY throw something onto this field, point them out and get them outta here. You don’t live in Milwaukee; you live in Detroit!”

Dan Plesac entered the game and escaped the bases-loaded jam with a long fly out from John Wockenfuss.

Milwaukee scored one in the fifth. Detroit answered with one in the sixth, then Milwaukee piled on with a run in the seventh and two more in the ninth to put it away.

Plesac earned the win with an earned run in 3 1/3 innings in relief. Dan Petry took the loss, giving up 5 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

 

Game 3 – Mil 3, Det 2

The most competitive game of the series, yet the shortest recap. A sixth inning double from Kirk Gibson was the difference in the game three win for Detroit.

Chet Lemon started the scoring with a solo homer in the second off Brewers starter Chris Bosio. Detroit would score another in the fourth on two hits and an error, but Milwaukee would time the game in the bottom half of the inning on two hits and a walk.

Jack Morris pitched eight solid innings, yielding two runs and four hits. Aurelio Lopez pitched another 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save.

Bosio also gave up two earned runs, but three runs total over 7 1/3 innings for the loss.

 

Game 4 – Mil 10, Det 4

Ricky Bones is the weakest starter on the Milwaukee staff, and Detroit is known as a power-hitting ballclub. It’s understood Bones may have trouble in game 4. The 10-4 victory was a symbolic final score.

Lou Whitaker channeled his inner Rickey Henderson, again starting the game with a home run. Detroit added a two-run homer by Larry Herndon in the second inning.

Milwaukee would cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom-half of the inning thanks to a wild pitch from Milt Wilcox.

Detroit piled on in the middle frames, extending the lead to 9-1 by tallying a run in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Brewers fans headed to the exits as manager Benjamin Picht emptied the bench.

A pinch-hit John Jaha single made it 9-2 in the sixth. Lance Parrish answered with a sac fly in the seventh to make it 10-2, and Dave Nilsson capped the scoring with a two-run double in the eighth.

Wilcox earned the win, pitching 7 2/3 innings and giving up 4 earned runs. Ricky Bones and Bruce Ruffin’s stat lines will not be printed here due to concerns that they’d violate community guidelines for obscenity.

 

Jints take 3 of 4 from Amazin's

 

The 1973 Giants take 3 of 4 from the 1987 Mets as the deciding fourth game goes into extra innings – and ends on a walk off HR by SF backup OF Gary Thomasson (see the details below)

 

Thanks to Jesse for fun Friday afternoon baseball!

GAME 1 - Candlestick Park

Giants take the opener at Shea as Rob Bryant (2-1) allows only 4 hits over 8 innings to get the win. Elias Sosa gets his 1^st save. A great pitchers duel between Bryant and Bobby Ojeda was scoreless through 7. Jeff Innis replaced Ojeda in the 8^th and the Giants exploded for FIVE RUNS in the frame. Bobby Bonds broke the scoreless tie with a THREE RUN HR (3) and Willie McCovey followed with a solo blast (3). The Mets got 2 back in the bottom of the 8^th but the comeback attempt fell short. Innis was the losing pitcher                       

GAME 2:                                                           

Giants make it two straight at Shea as King Kong Kingman belts a GRAND SLAM in the first inning off Dwight Gooden (1-2). McCovey hit his second solo HR (4) in 2 days to make it 5-0 Jints after 2 1/2. The Mets got 2 back in the third but did not score again. Tom Bradley (1-0) was solid for SF and got the win. Sosa got his second straight save. Gooden lasted only 3 innings before being removed for a PH                                                                                    

 

GAME 3:

The road team wins for the third straight day as the Mets win a wild one, 10-8, at Candlestick. Mets led 4-0 in the 4^th before SF came ack to tie it with 3 in the 4^th and 1 in the 5^th. Mets came right back and appeared to break the game open with 3 in the 6^th and 3 more in the 7^th to make it 10-4. But the “never say die” Giants rallied for four in the 8^th highlighted by a bases loaded, bases clearing, triple by Bobby Bonds. What looked like a laugher turned into a tense finish as the Mets employed two of their top relievers, Randy Myers (who got the win) and Jesse Orosco (who got the save), to stop the Giants comeback. Reliever Jim Willoughby took the loss.

 

Keith Hernandez was FIVE FOR SIX with a double, HR and 3 RBIs. Strawberry was 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 walks. Mookie Wilson was 3-4 with a triple, HR, 2 walks, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored.                                                                           

 

GAME 4:

An even wilder game than the night before goes to the Giants in 10 innings. SF took a 4-0 lead after four highlighted by a two run HR by Gary Matthews (3) and a solo shot by Kingman (3). With Juan Marichal tossing a shutout through five, things looked bleak for the Amazings. But the Mets rallied on a 2 run HR by Hernandez(4) and a dramatic 2 run HR by Gary Carter, in the 7^th, to tie the game! Wally Backman’s single, also in the 7^th, drove in Rafael Santana with the lead run. 5-4 Mets. SF came right back in the bottom of the frame as Booby Bonds singled to tie it at 5-5.

 

In the bottom of the 9^th, Gary Matthews led off with a single against a tired Roger McDowell (who came into the game without warming up). With Tito Fuentes up Randy Myers replaced McDowell. Matthews stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Carter. Winning run on third and nobody out for the Giants. Fuentes and Bonds were walked intentionally, loading them up with none out with the pitcher coming up. Chris Arnold came in to pinch hit and was struck out by Myers. With Garry Maddox up next, the Mets went to the pen again and brought in Jeff Innis – and all he did was strike out Maddox. Next up Kingman and manager Jesse sits him down to bring up the lefty hitting Ed Goodson, with the Mets out of LH relievers. Somehow Innis manages to get him to fly out deep to right – and the Mets have survived the inning – as Manager Alan lets out a huge sigh of relief.

 

The game goes to the bottom of the 10^th still tied. Innis is still on the mound for the Mets. He strikes out Speier leading off. Dave Rader then hits a routine grounder to short but Santana airmails the throw to first and the crucial error puts Rader on second with one out. Thomasson is up and manager Alan thinks about walking him intentionally. But the decision is to pitch to him – and not give him anything good to hit – Innis gets strike one and then strike two followed a ball and THEN

 

“Innis with the 1-2 fly down the right field line this one is well hit the wind is playing tricks with it

way back Strawberry racing back to the fence HOME RUN

Thommasson with a game winning homer! Thommasson with a game winning home run!

 

Don McMahon got the win in relief as Innis suffered his second loss of the series

 

Mets next play the 72 Cubs while the Giants play the 72 Dodgersj

--submitted by Alan Raylesberg--