Bob Gordon’s 1979 World Series APBA replay works its way into Game 6. -Tom
Jim Palmer and Scott McGregor teamed up to shut the Bucs out in Game Five. The O’s face another do or die game today here in Pittsburgh. (While I might be a brilliant manager, my travel agent skills are lacking. Game 3 was mistakenly played in Baltimore. What? You think I’m a batter travel agent than manager? You could be right….no teams have called me.). Martinez (Grade BZ) and Kison (Grade CYZ) match up again. Kison came out on top in Game 2 and has pitched well in the post season.
Kison has a good first inning. Singleton collects a two out single, but is forced at second by Murray. Up come the Bucs. Martinez steals an 8 from Moreno, and gets Foli on a liner to center. Parker comes up and strokes on to the gap in right center. Lead run is in scoring position for Willie Stargell. Willie circles the bat waiting for Martinez’ pitch. Dennis has a better idea. He whirls and throws to Belanger, who snuck behind Parker at second and tags him out to end the inning.
Kison strikes out Lowenstein and DeCinces to start the second. Dauer grounds one towards the hole at short. Foli backhands… long throw…. got him. Martinez keeps the Bucs off the board in the second as well. Stargell rolls out to Murray unassisted (Parker feels a little better…) and Robinson bounces back to the box. Madlock lines one over Belanger for a two out single but is stranded there.
With two gone in the Oriole third, Bumbry gets a bug on the rug. (You Bob Prince aficionados are picturing a ground ball in the gap speeding along the astroturf). Bumbry stops at second with a double. Belanger swings mightily and tops one towards Stargell at first. Pops grabs at, waves off Kison and steps on the bag in time to retire the side. Martinez is overpowering the Buc batters. (Extra credit for alliteration?). He K’s Kison and Moreno for his second and third of the game as he sets them down in order.
Singleton starts the Oriole fourth with a walk. Murray puts a charge into one to right. Parker runs back to the track, the wall and makes the catch. Singleton hustles back to first. Now Lowenstein. Ground ball to Madlock. Bill guns to first for the second out. DeCinces manages a weak grounder to Garner at second and the O’s are retired. Foli starts the Pirate fourth with a base hit to left. Parker comes up. Doubled in the first and was picked off, so he is looking for redemption. Martinez throws a curve ball and Parker grounds it to short. Belanger to Dauer, one, to Murray….not in time. The Cobra was flying down the line. Now Stargell. He checks his swing and rolls on to DeCinces. Doug fires to Dauer and the Orioles get the lead runner again. Milner whacked a Martinez fastball to DeCinces, who fired it to Dauer for the force again. O’s pitching has strung together 14 scoreless innings over three games.
The Orioles go in order in the fifth. The Pirates would have as well, but Belanger booted Garner’s grounder. Kison grounded out, but Moreno will lead off the sixth, not Kison.
Kison looks confident out there. Bumbry leads off with a liner that drops in front of Moreno in left center field. Third base hit off Kison, two by Bumbry. Belanger squares to bunt and bunts one towards Stargell. Willie throws to Garner at first and he drops it! Two on, no out and Singleton coming to the dish. Ken has singled and walked. Chopper towards the mound. Kison up with hit…throws to Foli cutting across the bag for one…..to Stargell….Two. Big double play for the Bucs. Bumbry at third – a wild pitch scores him, so Ott wants a fastball. So does Murray. He smokes a line drive to right. Parker doesn’t even have to move. Tough break for Baltimore. Moreno drills one to right center. That’s in the gap. Bumbry gets ther in a hurry and holds Omar to a double…he was thinking three. Now Foli. Martinez looking to keep this on the left side of the infield. Foli trying to go to right with it. (Like Earl, I’m not a big bunt guy…). Foli strikes out. Up comes Parker. Big swing…Skaggs tosses the mask off and makes the catch in foul ground. Two out, Stargell due up and Robinson waiting on deck. Earl out to chat with Martinez. Do they walk him or pitch to Milner? I think Earl just wanted to remind him that Stargell is 0-6 against Martinez in the series. Dennis works the outside corner through the at bat and gets a called third strike.
The O’s go in order in the seventh. Kison fans Lowenstein for his third K of the day. 0-0 as we stretch. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Ok, Buc seventh. Milner scorches one back through the box and in to center field. The Pirates have now outhit the O’s five to three. Here comes Madlock. Bill drills on to center field, that’s gonna drop….Milner rounds second and he’ll make third easily. Madlock takes off on the 0-1. Ott takes strike two…..Skaggs’ throw…..Safe. Second and third for the Pirates, no out. (Hope Chuck Stein isn’t reading this….close your eyes, Chuck). Earl is wiggling four fingers, he wants to put Ott on to load them up. Martinez does not look happy. I’m reading lips, but I think he said I got him oh and two, skip. And Earl said, wait, I can’t print THAT. I’ll go with, "don’t make me come out there". Bases loaded for Garner. The infield is in. Ground ball right at DeCinces.Throw to the plate……out. One gone, bases loaded and Robinson will hit for Kison. Bruce did his job today, no runs on 3 hits, a walk and 3 strikeouts. Robinson can’t catch up to Martinez’ fastball today and he takes a long, sad walk back to the bench. Sixth K for Denny. (Ok, Chuck, I think you can open your eyes). Moreno is the batter and he is 1-3. Line drive… Dauer dives…. and makes the catch! We are scoreless going to the eighth. Robinson stays in the game and goes to left field. Tanner brings in Jim Bibby (Grade C(B*)YZ) who will bat in the five hole.
Earl goes to his bench in the eighth. Pat Kelly bats for Skaggs. He drills one to right center. It one hops the wall for a lead off double. Now Terry Crowley bats for Martinez. El Presidente gave up zero runs on 6 hits, an intentional pass and fanned 6. Crowley’s pinch double in Game 1 drove in two…. but Bibby fans him, and gets Bumbry on strikes as well. Lee May will hit for Belanger. His pinch hit two run homer in the eighth yesterday broke a scoreless tie. He hits a high drive to left….Robinson has lots of room and Bibby is out of trouble. Earl goes to Tippy Martinez (Grade B*X) to deal with the Bucs lefties. Foli (the righty before the lefties) bangs a single over Garcia – who replaced Belanger at short – and in to left field. Parker takes a mighty cut a dribbles one down the third base line. No play for DeCinces and the Pirates are threatening again. Stargell. Has three fingers in the series and Buc fans would love to see one now. This one is off the end of the bat and DeCinces’ only okay is at first. One out, second and third. Rennie Stennett will bat for Bibby. Pop foul down the right field line. Murray turns and chases. Foli tagging….Murray makes the catch, whirls and throws to Dempsey. The ball and Foli get there at the same time, but Dempsey blocks the plate. The O’s turn two and momentum is swinging their way.
Dave Roberts (Grade D(B*)Z) comes in to pitch the ninth. He gets the side in order, ending the inning by striking out Gary Roenicke pinch hitting for Lowenstein. Tim Stoddard (Grade B*XZ) is on to pitch the ninth. Bill Madlock singles to left center to start the inning. Ott pops to short and Garner fouls out to Dempsey. Two gone and we are one out from extras. Robinson lines one to right field. Singleton takes a step back, now he charges, it drops in front of him and off his glove. Base hit for Robinson… Singleton’s error puts runners on second and third. The Pirates look to break an 18+ inning scoring drought and win the series. Up steps Moreno. Some felt he was the NLCS MVP. Weaver must agree, he puts him on intentionally. Foil comes up with two gone. He lifts one to left and Roenicke is there. We go to extra innings in Game Six.
DeCinces reached on Madlock’s error to start the tenth. Dauer grounded in to a 6-4-3 and Dempsey popped to short. The Buc tenth start with a Parker walk. Weaver wants McGregor to pitch to Stargell. Willie grounds into a force DeCinces to Dauer for the second time today. Lee Lacy bats for Roberts….and McGregor strikes him out. Two down. Bill Madlock is 3-4 with three singles. He lines his fourth hit of the day to left field. Parker makes a turn at third, but wisely holds. The left handed Ed Ott due up. Chuck Tanner looks down he bench and sees Manny Sanguillen. Chuck thinks, I should have bunted with Foli in the sixth and shouldn’t have sent him on that pop up in the eight. What the heck, let Ed hit. Ott grounds out, third to first. (Ouch).
Enrique Romo on for the 12th. (Grade B*XZ). Ayala bats for McGregor and flies to center. Bumbry drills his third hit of the day and second double to put the lead run in scoring position. Garcia grounds to Garner, who holds the runner and fires to first. Two out. Here’s Singleton, 1-3 today. And he bangs a base hit past a diving Foli for a 1-0 Oriole lead. Murray flies to right and the Orioles pitchers will look for their 22nd straight scoreless inning. Stanhouse (Grade B*W) comes on for the save. He fans Garner and Robinson. Moreno the batter. The Pirates are one out from seeing their 3-1 game advantage disappear and facing a Game 7 in Baltimore. Moreno lines one to center. Bumbry coming hard and makes the catch (a stolen 8). The Orioles have new life. Game seven pits Blyleven against Flanagan.
