Bob Gordon’s 1979 postseason: Oriole Flanagan overpowers Twins

On to Game 2 of the ALCS of Bob Gordon’s 1979 postseason replay.  -Tom

The Twins are hoping to even up the series after the O’s broke a 2-2 tie with a 4 run 8th. Mike Flanagan (27-9, 2.56, 23 CG), who shared the Cy Young with teammate Dennis Martinez, goes against Dave Goltz (23-6, 3.27).

Bumbry works a leadoff walk from Goltz. One out later with Singleton batting, Earl Weaver calls the hit and run. Singleton drills a liner to Bombo Rivera in right – who promptly doubles Bumbry off first. Rivera leads off the Twins half of the first with a single. After Randall strikes out, Roy Smalley laces a single to left past a diving Kiko Garcia and in to left field. Rivera holds at second. Flanagan gets Landreaux to pop to Garcia and fans the dangerous Adams. The Orioles waste two singles in the second and the Twins strand Castino at first after his one out single.

Rick Dempsey drills a double to right center to start the Baltimore third. Bumbry hammers a double to left center to score Dempsey and the O’s grab an early lead. Goltz gets Garcia to pop to Smalley at short and fans Singleton. Eddie Murray knocks one over the wall in straight away center for a 2 run homer and a three run lead. Roenicke skies to right to end the third. Flanagan sets the Twins down in order in the third. The O’s waste a one out DeCinces double in the fourth. Adams singles with one out in the home half of the fourth – but Flanagan gets Jackson (still Ron, not Reggie) on a fly to Lowenstein in left and Castino grounds to DeCinces at third.

Bumbry gets things off to a good start in the 5th. He singles to left and takes off on the first pitch. Wynegar’s throw is late and Bumbry is in scoring position. Garcia pops to short and Singleton grounds out Jackson to Flanagan – Bumbry taking third on the play. Goltz just one pitch from getting out of the inning. Murray steps up – he’s grounded out and homered. And he hits one to deep left and that one is not coming back. 5-0 Orioles. Roenicke steps in with 39 regular season homers to his credit and one in yesterday’s game as well. So Goltz does the sensible thing. He plunks him in the ribs with the first pitch. Lowenstein then singles to left (that wasn’t part of Goltz’ plan) and manager Gene Mauch has seen enough. He brings in Gary Serum who gets DeCinces to ground to Randall at second and the Twins are out of it. Flanagan keeps the Twins off the base paths and gets his mates back to the bat quickly. He fans Norwood and Wynegar before Bumbry makes a shoe string catch on Rivera’s liner to center.

O’s back to work in the sixth. Dauer singles and the O’s have their leadoff man on for the fourth time today. Dempsey hits a shot under Jackson’s glove and down the right field line for his second two bagger of the day. Dauer holds at third. Now Mauch wants the left hand hurler Darrell Jackson to face Bumbry (and force Singleton and Murray to bat from the right side). Jackson fans Bumbry and Garcia. Weaver wishing Dauer had tried to score on Dempsey’s double…. But Jackson grooves one to Singleton and Ken’s drive finds a fan’s glove beyond the center field wall. The Orioles lead is 8-0. Flanagan retires the Twins in order in the sixth – and in the seventh and has now retired 11 in a row.

The Orioles bat in the eight against Mike Marshall. Marshall in his second inning of work. Dempsey reaches when Roy Smalley can’t find the handle on the roller to short. E-6. Bumbry grounds in to a 4-6 fielder’s choice and Garcia hits a one hopper back to the box. Marshall flips to Jackson at first for the second out as Bumbry takes third. Now Marshall is thinking he’d be comfortable on the bench instead of facing Singleton, if Smalley had only handled that grounder. Singleton goes the other way with Marshall’s offering. It has a chance…good bye! Home run number 2 for the game for Ken Singleton and Marshall gets his seat on the bench. Mauch brings in Roger Erikson to face Murray – who also has two homers today. Erikson wants no part of him, though, and walks him on four pitches. Gary Roenicke then launches a no-doubt-about-it shot to left and the Orioles lead is 12-0. Five homers on the day for the high flying Birds. Willie Norwood takes Flanagan deep to start the Minnesota 8th. Norwood hit just 6 home runs all year – and this one ruins Flanagan’s shutout bid. One out later, Rivera doubles to the gap in right center. But Morales, pinch hitting for Randall, grounds to Garcia at short and Smalley’s grounder finds DeCinces’ glove at third and the inning is over. The Birds get 9th inning singles by Dempsey – his third hit of the day – and Bumbry – who collected 3 hits, a walk and two stolen bases – but fail to score. Flanagan cruises through the 9th retiring the Twins in order for the fifth time today.

The Orioles, like the Pirates, go home needing just one win to clinch a Series berth.

Keep ‘em coming, Bob!