Bob Gordon’s 1979 postseason: DeCinces plays big role in World Series opener

Bob Gordon is in World Series mode now taking the 1979 Pirates and Orioles to the big time!  – Tom

We are in Baltimore, the Charm City, for Game 1 of the 1979 World Series. (OK, so I looked it up. Baltimore tried to change its image by adopting a new nickname created by local ad execs. Voila – Charm City. The year was 1975. The same year I moved to the Baltimore suburbs – sheer coincidence, I’m sure. I’ve been accused of lots of things;charm and ace recapper do not number amongst those things.) The series will be played without the DH. The O’s will miss that extra big bat in their lineup. They boast a deeper bench than the Bucs.

The Bucs have a deeper bullpen, though. If O’s starters can work into the 7th, they can negate that advantage. The Lumber Company is coming in hot. They hit .308 with 6 homers against an Astro staff that was very good. The Birds hit a pretty fair .277 and clubbed 9 homers. Orioles pitching was on a roll in the LCS – working to a 2.75 ERA. The Bucs were a surprising 4.11 with John Candelaria coming in at 7.14! Flanagan (Grade BYZ) and Blyleven Grade (BY) are ready (and I’ll bet you are too…get on with it already.)

Omar Moreno leads off and picks up right where he left off. He was 9-18 in the LCS with 4 steals. And he starts today with a single to right and a stolen base. Flanagan gets Foli on a fly to Bumbry and K’s Parker. Up comes LCS MVP Stargell. He drives that one to deep center. The fleet footed Bumbry is back, back…track, wall and that one ain’t coming back. 2-0 Bucs and the O’s fans don’t even have their National Bo’s opened. Robinson grounds back to the box to end the inning. Now all Blyleven has to do is hold the O’s down. Garcia ends an 0-11 streak with a one out single in the first. Bert is unphased. He gets Singleton to sky to center and Murray is out, Foli to Garner.

Flanagan retires the Bucs in order in the second and third (stealing three eights along the way.) Bottom 3 and Dempsey singles over short and the O’s have their second runner of the day. Flanagan attempts to move him over, but Stargell fields the bunt and fires to Foli to catch Dempsey at second. Bumbry and Garcia both go down swinging and this game is moving right along.

Robinson gets a 2 out single in the Bucco 4th, but Flanagan gets Madlock to ground to his opposite number, DeCinces, who fires to Dauer to end the inning. The O’s turn at the dish….Singleton tops one to Madlock. Over to Stargell, one down. Up comes Eddie. (I can almost hear the chants – OK, we caught Walt not chanting, but since he is rooting for the Bucs, I guess we can let it go). Eddie swings at a hanging curve and that one is not coming back. 2-1 Bucs as Murray’s drive lands in the seats in right. (About 70 feet from where my wife and I sat for “thanks, Earl, day” a few years later). Lowenstein now. Weak grounder to Garner, two out. DeCinces flies to Moreno in center (stolen 8) and we are even after 4.

Buc 5th. Nicosia loses an 8 to Flanagan, sixth putout for Bumbry already. Garner singles in to left field and its Blyleven’s turn to sacrifice. His bunt hangs in there long enough for Dempsey to get under it, but not long enough for Garner to get back to first. The double play ends the Pirate 5th. The O’s go peacefully in the home half of the 5th and the Pirates make another run (excuse the pun – now I know why that’s a basketball play by play term..) at Flanagan in the 6th. After two are out, Parker sends one to the gap in right center. On comes Stargell, struck out and flown out today. Flanagan nibbles at the outside corner, but is too fine and loses him. Two on, two out. Robinson at the plate. Big swing…he tops it. Flanagan fields it cleanly and throw to Murray. The Orioles ring the top of the order in their half. Bumbry skies to Parker and Garcia rolls one to Garner. Garner kicks it – and Garcia is on. E-4. Singleton the batter, hitting right handed. Line drive to right. Garcia got a great jump….base hit and O’s with first and third, one out. Murray to the plate. Fly ball, short right, Parker (OF-3) charging and Garcia bluffs but holds third. Lowenstein’s turn. He’s grounded to Garner twice in as many at bats. This time, Bert’s curve is too much for John and he strikes out – the 4th of the day for Blyleven.

Madlock leads off the 7th. In my replay, he was with the Bucs all year. His 3B-4 and speed (40 steals, 8th in the league) made the Bucs a much better replay team. He gets things rolling hear with a triple to left center – his first hit of the postseason. Bill was 0-13 against Houston and was 0-2 today. Nicosia brought him home with a sac fly to Lowenstein, and that was all the Pirates could muster. But they lead 3-1 and need 9 outs. DeCinces is the first of those 9 grounding out to Stargell unassisted. Dauer to the plate. He played well in the ALCS, hitting .357. During the regular season, he hit .294 with 8 HR, so Blyleven needs to stay focused, here. (Too much foreshadowing?) Rich drills one that goes to the wall in right center and ends up standing on second. Dempsey draws a walk and Weaver has a decision to make – bunt with Flanagan or pinch hit and go to the pen. (No truth to the rumor he decided to have another beer…) Earl sends designated pinch hitter Terry Crowley to the plate. The Crow does not disappoint the Bird faithful – he slugs a game tying double in to left center. No bullpen action for the Bucs. Tanner didn’t expect this from 7,8 and 9 in the order. Bumbry chops on back to the box. Crowley holds and Bert fires to first for out number two. Pat Kelly comes off the bench to hit for Garcia. Blyleven fans him on three pitches, but we are tied at 3. Belanger takes short in the top half of the 8th and bats 2nd.

Tippy Martinez is the new pitcher. Tippy retires the side in order – fanning Parker to end the frame. The O’s don’t fare any better in their half. They go in order with strike outs by Murray and DeCinces. Blyleven now has 7 K’s, and 18 in 17 innings of postseason ball. Stargell starts the 9th against Tippy. Lefty on lefty. Tippy wins this battle, striking out Willie. Now Earl goes to the pen for Stanhouse (Grade B*W). Tanner stays with the right hand hitting Robinson – and Robinson grounds harmlessly to 3rd. Madlock now with 2 out and Pirate faithful hoping for 2 out lightning. He draws a walk off Stanhouse and Nicosia comes up. I think Chuck was blinded by Steve’s surprising performance on the year – hitting .309 with 30 doubles in 220 AB. That 22-0 looked good, too. Stanhouse fans him and the Orioles need one for the win… Blyleven takes the hill in the 9th. He gets DeCinces to ground to short. Dauer singles past a leaping Tim Foli and Memorial stadium comes to its feet. Dempsey hits a fly to short left and Robinson records the second putout of the inning. Benny Ayala out of the dugout to face Blyleven. Stoddard is in the O’s pen – just in case. Benny takes ball four. That run means nothing and Ayala has good power. Bumbry is 0-4 and standing in for the 5th time. Blyleven loses him on five pitches and is obviously tired. He is due to bat 2nd in the 10th. Tanner heads for the home plate umpire. Looks like a double switch. Enrique Romo (Grade B*XZ) will be the pitcher, with 2 gone and the bases juiced. He’ll bat 7th. Ed Ott will bat 9th and catch. A new Pirate battery. Belanger steps in…Billy Smith was hoping for the AB, but Earl plays a hunch. (First roll is PRN 14, a ball with Romo, but the game winner if Blyleven stayed on.) Belanger bounces back to Romo and we get some free baseball!

Stoddard retires the Bucs in order – fanning Ed Ott in the process. Romo back to work in the home half of the 10th. Singleton goes the other way and is on at first with a single. A 2-5 day for Ken to this point. The chants are deafening as Murray steps in. Ground ball towards the hole – Garner over. Pivots and fires to Foli, one. To Stargell, double play. Lowenstein, now. Grounded out twice, struck out twice. Base hit over short. The O’s have life. Now DeCinces. Line drive – past Stargell. Parker racing over – he was playing Doug to pull – he picks it up and fires it back to the Garner but Lowenstein was on his horse and scores the game winner. DeCinces with a walk off double in Game 1 of the Series. Stoddard the win and Romo the loss. 3-6-1 for the Pirates and 4-10-0 for the Orioles. These teams go back at it tomorrow with John Candelaria taking on Steve Stone.