Baseball – 1982

Baseball in 1982

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January

January 5Free-agent pitcher Frank Tanana‚ 4-10 for Boston last season‚ signs a 2-year contract with Texas.
January 9Former Red Sox OF Tony Conigliaro‚ in Boston to interview for a broadcasting position‚ suffers a massive heart attack while being driven to the airport by his brother Billy and lapses into a coma. The 37-year-old Tony C. will remain hospitalized until March 2nd.
January 12In the January draft‚ the Blue Jays use the #1 pick on OF Kash Beauchamp and the Cubs follow by taking C Troy Afenir. Huh! The Twins‚ picking 3rd‚ take Kirby Puckett. The Reds choose Randy Myers on the first round while the Mets select Kal Daniels on the 3rd round. The 433rd pick overall is John Cangelosi‚ taken by the White Sox.
January 13Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson become the 12th and 13th players elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in their first year of eligibility. Aaron falls 9 votes shy of becoming the first-ever unanimous selection‚ and his 97.8 election percentage is 2nd only to Ty Cobb‘s 98.2 percent in the inaugural 1936 election.
January 22Free-agent OF Reggie Jackson ends his tumultuous 5 seasons as a Yankee by signing a reported 4-year contract with the California Angels for nearly $1 million per year.
January 27Philadelphia sends veteran SS Larry Bowa and minor league infielder Ryne Sandberg to the Cubs in exchange for SS Ivan DeJesus.
January 28The Orioles trade 3B Doug DeCinces and minor league P Jeff Schneider to the Angels for OF Dan Ford.
January 29Wayne Garland‚ baseball’s first millionaire free agent‚ is waived by the Indians with 5 seasons remaining on his 10-year contract. Garland was 3-7 with a 5.79 ERA in 1981.

February

February 3Minor league C Angel Rodriguez‚ who played for the Pirates’ Alexandria club (Carolina League) last season‚ is suspended from organized baseball for one year for telling opposing Latin American batters what pitches were coming. Rodriguez had been suspended by the Pirates last season after being caught in the act during an August 19th game against Lynchburg.
February 8The Dodgers break up the longest-playing infield unit in ML history by trading veteran 2B Davey Lopes to the A’s for minor-leaguer Lance Hudson. Lopes‚ 1B Steve Garvey‚ 3B Ron Cey‚ and SS Bill Russell had been the Dodgers’ starting infield since 1974.
February 9The Reds trade Paul Moskau to the Orioles for Wayne Krenchicki.
February 10The Mets agree to a new 5-year contract with slugging OF George Foster‚ completing a trade that sends pitchers Jim Kern and Greg Harris and C Alex Trevino to the Reds. Foster will fizzle in New York‚ as will the Reds new players.
February 11The Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton deal finally goes through‚ more than 2 months after it was first announced. Smith’s new salary with the Cardinals will be determined by an outside arbitrator.
February 16Bake McBride becomes the 3rd starter from the Phillies’ 1980 World Championship squad to be traded or sold since Bill Giles bought the club last October. The Indians get him in exchange for pitcher Sid Monge.

March

March 5Needing just 3 wins to reach 300 for his career‚ Gaylord Perry signs a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners.
March 10Travis Jackson and Happy Chandler are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Jackson hit .291 in 15 seasons as the New York Giants SS in the 1920s and 30s‚ while Chandler was baseball’s 2nd commissioner and oversaw-and encouraged-the dismantling of the color barrier in 1947.

The Pirates sell P Mark Lee to Detroit.
March 24Fernando Valenzuela ends his holdout and reports to the Dodgers’ spring training camp in Vero Beach‚ Florida. After earning just $42‚500 while winning the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards last season‚ the 21-year-old lefthander had asked for a raise to $1 million in 1982. The Dodgers unilaterally renewed his contract for a reported $350‚000 instead.
March 30The Giants trade pitchers Vida Blue and Bob Tufts to the Royals for pitchers Renie Martin‚ Craig Chamberlain‚ and Atlee Hammaker.

The Dodgers trade OF Rudy Law to the White Sox for minor leaguers Cecil Espy and Bert Geiger.

The Yankees trade P Andy McGaffigan and OF Ted Wilborn to the San Francisco Giants for P Doyle Alexander. Alexander was in a salary dispute with the Giants and had not reported to training camp. It is the pitcher’s 2nd tour of duty with the Yanks; he’ll go 1-7 this year and 0-2 next year before being released on May 16.
March 31The Expos trade 3B-OF Larry Parrish and minor league 1B Dave Hostetler to the Rangers for veteran OF-1B Al Oliver. Hostetler will play for the Rangers at 1B as well as DH‚ where he becomes the first DH with the initials DH.

April

April 1The Mets ship popular OF Lee Mazzilli to the Rangers for minor league pitchers Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.

Surely you jest. The Cards trade P Bob Shirley to the Reds for minor league pitchers Jose Brito and Jeff Lahti. Brito won’t make it but Lahti will have more than a cup of latte‚ going 17-11 in 5 years. After a season in Cincy‚ Bob Shirley will go to the Yankees.

The Yankees trade Gene Nelson and Bill Caudill and a future player (Bobby Brown) to the Seattle Mariners for Shane Rawley.
April 2In an exhibition game against the Padres‚ A’s pitcher Steve McCatty steps to the plate wielding a 15-inch toy bat on the instructions of manager Billy Martin‚ who was upset that his club was not allowed to use a DH in spring training games at NL parks. Home plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let McCatty use the bat‚ and McCatty takes 3 called strikes.
April 5Forty-three-year-old Jim Kaat pitches one inning for the Cardinals in a season-opening 14-3 rout of the Astros‚ setting a new ML record for pitchers by playing in his 24th consecutive season.

After astronauts Joe Engle and Richard Truly toss out the first ball at Riverfront Stadium‚ the Reds open with a 3-2 loss to the Cubs‚ called after 8 innings on account of rain.
April 6The largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota-52‚279-turns out for the inaugural game at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Twins rookie 3B Gary Gaetti goes 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs‚ and is thrown out trying to stretch a triple into a 3rd round tripper. But Seattle wins 11-7.

In New York‚ a foot of snow cancels the Yankees opener with the Rangers at the Stadium. Tomorrow’s game with Texas and the first two with the White Sox will also be canceled because of snow and ice. With 2 games snowed out in Chicago‚ the Red Sox will return tomorrow to Winter Haven‚ FL.

The Reds sell P Mike LaCoss‚ 4-7 in 1981‚ to the Astros.
April 9Former White Sox pitcher Francisco Barrios‚ 28‚ dies of heart attack in his native Mexico. Barrios was 14-7 for Chicago in 1977‚ but had recurring shoulder trouble‚ as well as drug and alcohol problems.
April 10The Yankees trade relief pitcher Ron Davis and minor leaguers Paul Boris and Greg Gagne to the Twins for veteran IF Roy Smalley. Gagne hit .270 and .297 the past two seasons at Greensboro.

Three games into the season‚ Whitey Herzog resigns as Cardinals GM to concentrate on managing the team. He is the last man to hold both jobs at the same time.
April 11At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yankees finally open with a 7-6 loss to Chicago in 12 innings‚ then drop a 2-0 nitecap. The grounds crew is feted because of their efforts in getting the snow-covered field ready‚ and grounds crew chief Esposito tosses out the first ball. Jerry Koosman and Ron Guidry are the starters but Koosman gives up 6 runs in 5 2/3 inning and Guidry 4 runs in 4 innings to earn showers. Gossage‚ the last of 4 pitchers‚ gives up a leadoff triple to Bill Almon in the 12th and Ron LeFlore drives him home with one of his 3 hits on the day. Kevin Hickey wins with an inning of relief.
April 14In the longest game ever played at Anaheim Stadium‚ the Angels beat Seattle 4-3 on Bob Boone‘s RBI single in the bottom of the 20th inning. The game began yesterday‚ but was suspended after 17 innings. In the 20 innings‚ Angels SS Rick Burleson accounts for ML-record 15 assists. In the scheduled contest‚ California wins again‚ 2-1 in 10 innings.
April 15The Phils double the Mets‚ 8-4‚ in 13 innings. Aguayo’s 2-out 3-run HR‚ off Charlie Puleo‚ in the 13th makes it easy for Warren Brusstar.
April 16At Detroit‚ the Yankees Roy Smalley makes the first and last outs-all 3outs-in the 3rd inning as the Yankees score 5 times. Smalley strikes out to start the frame‚ and ends it by lining into a DP. Ron Guidry coasts to his first win of the year‚ 10-2.
April 17Lured by a cap night promotion‚ a stadium-record 61‚640 fans pack Anaheim Stadium and see Brian Downing homer twice to lead the Angels to a 6-2 win over the Twins. In the 6th inning‚ SS Rick Burleson tears his rotator cuff making a throw to 1B and will be lost for the season.
April 18The White Sox top Baltimore to go 8-0 for the season‚ the team’s best start ever. Rookie Salome Barojas picks up his 5th save in as many appearances.
April 20By defeating the Reds‚ 4-2 for its 12th victory in a row‚ The Braves tie the modern ML record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. Steve Bedrosian pitches 41?3 innings of relief to earn his first ML win.
April 21The Braves score 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat Cincinnati 4-3 for their record-breaking 13th win since the start of the year.
April 22After opening the season with 13 straight wins the Braves finally lose‚ 2-1‚ to the Reds. Bruce Berenyi is the winner over Bob Walk.
April 23The Yankees trade 1B Bob Watson to Atlanta for minor leaguer P Bob Patterson. Watson was given the choice of Philadelphia‚ LA‚ or Atlanta. In 2 weeks the Yankees will trade their other first baseman‚ Dave Revering‚ who hit .465 in spring training.
April 24The Cardinals win their 12th game in a row 7-4 over the Phillies. St. Louis will finally lose tomorrow 8-4 to Philadelphia‚ as Steve Carlton wins his first game of the season after 4 straight defeats.

At Toronto‚ Jesse Barfield hits the first pinch grand slam in Blue Jay history‚ connecting in the 8th inning off Boston’s Tom Burgmeier. But Yastrzemski’s 3-run HR in the 5th off Dave Stieb helps to power the Red Sox to an 8-7 win.
April 25Just 14 games into the season‚ George Steinbrenner fires manager Bob Lemon and replaces him with Gene Michael‚ the man Lemon had replaced last September.
April 27Todd Cruz‚ the Mariners’ number-9 hitter‚ hits an 11th-inning home run for the 2nd straight game‚ helping Seattle to a 7-4 win over Cleveland. On April 25th‚ Cruz’s solo home run in the bottom of the 11th capped a 4-for-4 day and gave the Mariners a 5-4 win over the Twins.
April 28At Wrigley‚ the Cubs Dickie Noles pitches his first career complete game‚ a 6-0 one-hitter over Tom Seaver (0-3)and the Reds. The only hit off Noles is Eddie Milner‘s single leading off the 4th inning.

Bob Bailor‘s sacrifice ?y in the top of the 15th inning scores Mookie Wilson with the winning run as the Mets beat the Padres 5-4‚ ending San Diego’s winning streak at 11 games. It is the 3rd winning streak of 10 or more games in the NL this year.

Pete Rose goes 5-for-5 to tie Max Carey for the NL record with 9 career 5-hit games‚ as Philadelphia scores 6 times in the top of the 9th to beat Los Angeles 9-3.
April 30Brian Fisher of Durham strikes out 20 Salem batters‚ including the first 9 in a row‚ tying 2 Carolina League records. Durham wins‚ 5-3.

May

May 2The Brewers down the Twins 11-4 on two 3-run shots by Ted Simmons‚ one from each side of the plate.
May 3Mike Flanagan faces just 27 batters in beating the Mariners‚ 6-0. The Orioles ace gives up 3 hits and a walk‚ but 2 double plays‚ a pickoff and a steal attempt clean the bases.
May 4Twins rookie OF Jim Eisenreich‚ who suffers from a nervous disorder known as Tourette’s Syndrome‚ is forced to remove himself from a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox when he is taunted mercilessly by bleacher fans and his violent twitching becomes uncontrollable. Eisenreich‚ who was hitting .310 after making the jump from A ball to the major leagues‚ will be hospitalized on May 9th and will make several unsuccessful comeback attempts before retiring in 1984. He will ultimately return to the majors with the Royals in 1987.
May 5Cincinnati ties the modern ML record with 4 sacrifice flies in an 8-7 loss to Houston.

The Yankees and Toronto swap first baseman‚ with New York getting John Mayberry and the Jays taking Dave Revering. Toronto also receives 2 minor leaguers.
May 6At the Kingdome‚ Gaylord Perry (3-2) becomes the 15th pitcher to win 300 career games‚ beating the Yankees 7-3. Perry gives up 9 hits and 6 walks in beating Doyle Alexander‚ and he is the first pitcher to reach the 300-win plateau since Early Wynn in 1963. Perry allegedly wears a different uniform each inning in order to sell them as memorabilia. The Yanks and Alexander lose more than the game: after giving up 5 runs in the 3rd‚ Alexander enters the dugout and punches the wall‚ breaking a knuckle and sidelining himself for 2 months.
May 7Keith Moreland has 2 HRs and 7 RBI to power the Cubs to a 12-6 win over the Phils.
May 11The Twins trade ace reliever Doug Corbett and 2B Rob Wilfong to California for minor leaguers Tom Brunansky and Mike Walters and cash.
May 12In their 2nd major trade in as many days‚ the Twins deal C Butch Wynegar and P Roger Erickson to the Yankees for IF Larry Milbourne‚ minor leaguers John Pacella and Pete Filson‚ and cash. The Twins’ frugal owner‚ Calvin Griffith‚ is roundly criticized for the deals‚ in which he appears to be unloading high-salaried veterans at the expense of a winning ball club.

Brewers Paul Molitor hits 3 solo home runs‚ but Milwaukee loses 9-7 to Kansas City.
May 14Kent Hrbek of the Twins goes 0-for-5 in an 11-inning 4-2 loss to the Tigers‚ ending his hitting streak at 23. The game is marred by a bench-clearing brawl in which Tigers P Dave Rozema tears knee ligaments‚ sidelining him for the rest of the season. Rozema is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th‚ Pittsburgh’s Lee Lacy greets Reds reliever Tom Hume with a grand slam home run. But in the celebration. Lacy passes teammate Omar Moreno between 1B and 2B. Lacy gets only a single and three ribbies‚ but the Bucs pull out a victory‚ 8-7.
May 15Pirate pitcher Rick Rhoden makes his 12-9 win over the Reds a little easier when he doubles and homers in the Bucs’ 9-run 3rd inning. Johnny Ray drives in 5 runs in the big inning. The Reds make it close with 8 runs in the 8th and 9th.
May 18Tigers Larry Herndon hits 3 home runs in an 11-9 win over Oakland‚ and in the process becomes the 14th player in ML history to hit home runs in 4 consecutive plate appearances. On May 16th‚ he homered in his final at bat to give Detroit a 7-6 win over Minnesota.

In Chicago‚ the White Sox top Texas 10-2 behind Lamar Hoyt’s 13th straight win stretching back to 1981. Hoyt’s record at Comiskey Park is now 15-0.
May 24Pittsburgh tops the Dodgers 9-3. Jay Johnstone breaks an 0-21 streak by lining a pinch double for LA‚ but when he returns to the dugout manager Tommy Lasorda tells him he’s been released. He’ll sign with the Cubs but return to LA in 1985.

Lamar Hoyt picks up his 14th straight win and runs his 1982 record to 9-0 by beating the Royals 3-1 in Chicago.
May 25Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs fans Garry Templeton in the 3rd inning of a 2-1 loss to the Padres to become the 7th pitcher in ML history to record 3‚000 career strikeouts.

Jim Palmer (2-2) wins his 250th career game for Baltimore‚ 10-3 over the Rangers. Gary Roenicke has a pair of HRs and John Lowenstein adds one.
May 28The Brewers get 3 consecutive HRs-by Cecil Cooper‚ Don Money‚ and Gorman Thomas-in the 6th‚ but they fall short‚ losing 6-5 to California.
May 29The Indians beat the White Sox 5-2‚ handing pitcher LaMarr Hoyt his first loss of the season. Hoyt had started the season 9-0 and had won 14 consecutive decisions since last August 27th.

At Minnesota‚ the Yanks put runners on 1B (Graig Nettles) and 2B (Bobby Murcer) with no outs. When Roy Smalley strikes out on a wide 3-2 pitch from Terry Felton‚ Murcer attempts to steal 3B. But Sal Butera‘s throw beats him so badly he retreats to 2B only to find Nettles there. Gaetti tags Murcer who is standing safely alone on the base‚ and then throws to Hrbek to catch Nettles heading back to 1B. Murcer then tries for 3B and Hrbek’s throw to Felton covering completes the triple play. Alas‚ Felton‚ 0-8 coming into the game gets a no-decision‚ and will lose another 5 to finish his career with an 0-16 record.
May 30Toronto’s Jim Gott beats Jim Palmer and the Orioles‚ 6-0. Cal Ripken starts his streak of 8243 consecutive innings played which will end in 1987.
May 31The Phils outbrawl the Reds to win 5-4 in 13 innings. Mario Soto holds the Phils to one hit‚ while hitting two himself-Bob Dernier and Mike Schmidt-on successive pitches in the 6th. In the 7th‚ Ron Reed plunks Soto‚ who starts for the mound with his bat. He is restrained‚ but Dave Concepcion steps in landing punches to Reed. All three are tossed and Reds reliever Joe Price allows no hits in the 7th and 8th but is pounded for 4 runs in the 9th. The Phils plate a run off Bob Shirley in the 13th to win.

June

June 1Rickey Henderson steals 2 bases in a 3-2 win over the Red Sox to give him 51 steals in 51 games‚ the fastest anyone has ever reached 50 SBs in a season.

The Brewers win 2-1 over the Mariners to leave them with a 33-24 record and tied for 5th place. The Brewers will win 20 out of 26 games in June and be tied for 1st on July 2.
June 2San Diego’s Juan Eichelberger one-hits the Cubs 3-1‚ allowing only a questionable 2nd-inning single to Scot Thompson. Thompson’s ground ball skips off the glove of 2B Tim Flannery and is ruled a hit.

Milwaukee fires manager Buck Rodgers and replaces him with batting coach Harvey Kuenn.
June 3A minor-league attendance mark of 65‚666 is set at Denver’s Mile High Stadium as the Omaha Royals top the Bears 7-4.
June 4At Minnesota‚ Brad Havens and Terry Felton combine to shut out Baltimore 6-0‚ snapping the Twins’ club-record 14-game losing streak. The last-place Twins were 3-26 in the month of May. From May 19 to June 2‚ the Twins lost 2 to Baltimore‚ and 6 each to Cleveland and NY..
June 5The Brew Crew connect for 3 consecutive homers-by Yount‚ Cecil Cooper‚ and Ben Oglivie-in the 7th as Milwaukee pounds Oakland‚ 11-3. Ted Simmons and Gorman Thomas also homer to back Bob McClure‘s 3rd victory. It is the 2nd time in a week that Milwaukee sluggers have hit 3 consecutive homers.
June 7Steve Garvey plays in his 1‚000th consecutive game and goes 0-for-4 in a 4-3 loss to the Braves. Garvey’s streak is the 5th longest in ML history.

The O’s Jim Palmer tops the Brewers‚ 7-2‚ giving up 5 hits‚ to even his record at 3-3. Palmer will win his next 9 games.

Consecutive HRs by Minnesota’s Ron Washington‚ Tom Brunansky (off Creel)‚ and Kent Hrbek (off Quisenberry) in the 8th help the Twins tie‚ but Kansas City wins in 10 innings‚ 5-4.

The Cubs select SS Shawon Dunston‚ who batted .790 this season for Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson HS‚ with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft. The Blue Jays then squander the 2nd pick on SS Augie Schmidt; he’ll be the first Gold Spike winner in 21 years not to make the majors. The Twins‚ picking 4th overall‚ take lefty Brian Oeklers‚ who will be the first to reach the majors. Dwight Gooden is the 5th overall‚ taken by the Mets‚ one of 12 Mets draft picks who will make the Bigs. The Red Sox with 3 first round picks‚ use their first on Sam Horn and their last 1st round choice on FSU slugger Jeff Ledbetter‚ who hit an NCAA record 42 HRs: at least Horn will make the majors. The Yankees select high school SS Bo Jackson in the 2nd round‚ but he opts for Auburn instead. The Angels also go for a 2-sport star‚ taking U of Vermont’s Kirk McCaskill‚ the first college player taken in last years NHL draft. The A’s pick Jose Canseco in the 15th round and sign him for $15‚000; the Royals mine gold on the 19th round by taking Bret Saberhagen. The Reds strike out in the first round when they select Illini high schooler Scott Jones‚ but fare better with 9th rounder Tom Browning. The Rangers take 139-pound HS SS Kenny Rogers in the 39th round.

Facing Wichita State‚ with a NCAA record 333 stolen bases on the season‚ Miami pulls off the “grand illusion‚” which makes every sports show in the country. Down 4-3 in the 6th‚ the Shockers put Phil Stephenson‚ holder of the NCAA mark 87 steals this year‚ on 1B. After throwing over to 1B once‚ Miami P Mike Kasprzak takes his foot off the rubber‚ and seemingly fires again to 1B. Stephenson dives back again‚ and 1B Steve Lusby leaps over him for the apparent errant throw. The 2B and RF chase after the ball. Bullpen pitchers get out of the way of the ball. As Stephenson takes off for 2B‚ Kasprzak tosses the ball to SS Bill Wrona for the easy tag. In the championship game a few days later‚ a spooked Shocker team will steal just one base in a 9-3 loss to Miami.
June 8Dodgers farmhand Sid Fernandez pitches his 2nd no-hitter of the season for Vero Beach (Florida State League)‚ beating Ft. Lauderdale 1-0‚ while striking out 16. El Sid earns a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League. Earlier this season hefty Hawaiian hurler no-hit Winter Haven on April 24th‚ whiffing 16‚ and fanned 21 Lakeland batters on May 14th.
June 9Steve Carlton strikes out 16 while handing the Cubs their 10th consecutive loss‚ 4-2. Carlton is now 7-6 after an 0-4 start.
June 11Jerry Reuss pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season‚ allowing a leadoff double to the Reds Eddie Milner in the first inning‚ then retiring the next 27 batters for an 11-1 victory. It is the 2nd time in his career that Reuss has missed a perfect game by one batter.
June 12A’s RF Tony Armas sets a pair of ML records for the position with 11 putouts and 12 total chances in an 8-1 win over the Blue Jays. Harry “Silk Stocking” Schafer’s record of 11 total chances had stood since 1877‚ and matched 4 times‚ most recently by Bake McBride‚ in 1978. Armas has a single and a triple‚ including the game winner for Rick Langford.
June 14Despite making 6 errors‚ the Cubs beat the Phillies 12-11 to snap a 13-game losing streak which tied the club record set in 1944.

The Yankees Ron Guidry stops the Red Sox to run his record to 8-1. For the rest of the season‚ however‚ Guidry will be just 6-7 with a 4.47 ERA.
June 15In a convoluted three-way deal‚ the Pirates send vet Bill Robinson to the Phils‚ while the Phils send promising OF Dick Davis to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays send Wayne Nordhagen to the Bucs. Nordhagen plays one game for Pittsburgh‚ going 2-for-4‚ and then goes down with a stiff back. Claiming a pre-existent injury‚ the Pirates complain to Toronto‚ and on June 25 the Jays agree to take Nordhagen back‚ sending Dick Davis to the Pirates. Alas‚ Davis‚ who plays in 9 road games with the Jays‚ will hit .182 for the Bucs.
June 16Twins rookie Frank Viola allows one run in 7 innings to record his first ML win‚ 5-2‚ over the Royals.

Scot Thompson breaks his collarbone crashing into the wall to rob Luis Aguayo of a possible double with two men on. Ryne Sandberg then knocks in a run with a single in the bottom of the 11th to give the Cubs a 7-6 win. Chicago complete a 3-game sweep of the Phils at Wrigley.

Cesar Cedeno drives in 6 runs with 2 homers and a triple to pace the Reds to a 7-3 win over the visiting Giants.
June 18Cleveland’s Toby Harrah goes 4-for-5 in a 10-3 win over the Red Sox to raise his ML-leading average to a sizzling .387. He will finish the season at .304.

Reggie Jackson collects his 2‚000th career hit‚ a solo home run off Dennis Lamp in California’s 7-2 win over the White Sox.
June 20Phillies Pete Rose plays in his 3‚000th ML game (a 3-1 loss to the Pirates)‚ joining Ty Cobb‚ Stan Musial‚ Hank Aaron‚ and Carl Yastrzemski as the only players to reach that plateau.

Milwaukee’s Ben Oglivie smacks 3 home runs in a 7-5 win over Detroit. It is the 2nd 3-homer game of his career.
June 22Pete Rose doubles off John Stuper in the 3rd inning of a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals for his 3‚772nd career hit‚ moving him past Hank Aaron into 2nd place on baseball’s all-time list.

Rangers Rick Honeycutt shuts out California 4-0‚ snapping Rod Carew‘s 25-game hitting streak in the process. The streak was the longest of Carew’s career and the longest in Angels history.

Red Sox rookie Wade Boggs hits his first ML home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Boston a 5-4 win over Detroit. Boggs will finally crack the starting lineup for good after tomorrow’s game‚ in which regular 3B Carney Lansford severely sprains his ankle while unsuccessfully trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run. Boggs hits .390 in Lansford’s absence and .349 for the season.
June 26Despite managing just one hit in each game‚ the Appleton Foxes (Midwest League) sweep a doubleheader from the Wisconsin Rapids 2-1 and 1-0.
June 27The Braves tie the ML record with 7 double plays in a 2-0‚ 14-inning win over Cincinnati. Mario Soto pitches 10 shutout innings for the Reds but gets no decision. The loss starts the Reds on a streak where they’ll lose 20 out of 23 games.

July

July 2Boston’s Tony Perez singles off Milwaukee’s Bob McClure (7-2) for his 2‚500th career hit‚ but that’s a lone bright spot as the Brewers clobber the Red Sox‚ 14-5. Gorman Thomas has a pair of homers as 6 are hit.
July 3A County Stadium-record crowd of 55‚716 watches the Brewers shut out the Red Sox 7-0 to move into a first-place tie with Boston in the AL East.
July 5Pittsburgh’s first two hitters‚ Omar Moreno and Johnny Ray‚ hit homers of Houston’s Joe Niekro. Niekro settles down and wins‚ 6-4.

Baltimore’s Scott McGregor beats the Angels‚ 8-5 for his 11th straight win over the Haloes. He tires in the 9th and exits after giving up homers to Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn‚ as California scores 4 times.
July 7Harold Baines belts 3 home runs‚ including a grand slam‚ to lead the White Sox to a 7-0 win over Detroit.

Houston’s Don Sutton wins his 250th career game‚ a 5-1 four-hitter against the Cubs.

The Reds rally scoring 5 runs in the top of the 9th to beat the Pirates‚ 6-3. Wayne Krenchicki‘s pinch three-run homer off Kent Tekulve is the tie-breaker in the frame.
July 8Billy Martin records his 1‚000th career win as a manager as the A’s beat the Yankees 6-3.

For the 2nd day in a row‚ the Reds enter the 9th trailing the Pirates. Today‚ they turn a 4-2 deficit into an 8-4 lead‚ scoring 6 in the top of the 9th. The Pirates answer with a 2-run homer by Willie Stargell and a 3-run double by Jason Thompson off Joe Price‚ and win‚ 9-8.
July 10The Rangers Larry Parrish hits his 3rd grand slam of the week in a 6-5 win over the Tigers‚ tying the ML record set by Detroit’s Jim Northrup in 1968. Parrish also hit grand slams July 4th against Oakland and July 7th against Boston.
July 11As noted by Floyd Connor and John Snyder‚ the Cincinnati Enquirer features a contest in which readers are asked to pick the date and time that the last place Reds will be eliminated from the NL West race. The winner gets two tickets to the last game of the year‚ while the runner-up gets 4 tickets to the same game.
July 13Reds SS Dave Concepcion hits a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning to spark the NL to its 11th consecutive win in the All-Star Game 4-1. The NL has now won 19 of the last 20 contests.
July 15Detroit collects 9 hits and drops 11 runs on the Twins in the first inning enroute to an 18-2 smackdown of the Twins. Dan Petry is the winning pitcher. Brookens and Trammell hit back-to-back HRs off reliever John Pacella.
July 17The Brewers rally for 5 runs to top the White Sox 5-2. Pete Ladd picks up his 1st ML win.
July 19The Twins overcome 2 homers by Robin Yount to beat the Brewers‚ 6-4. Tom Brunansky hits his 2nd inside-the-park homer of the year (May 28 was the other)‚ but this one is a grand slam off Jerry Augustine. The IP slam is a first in Twins history.

In the first annual Cracker Jack Oldtimers Classic at Washington’s Robert F. Kennedy Stadium‚ 75-year-old Luke Appling hits a 250-foot homer off Warren Spahn to help the AL to a 7-2 win over the NL in a 5-inning battle of retired baseball stars.
July 20In the 3rd inning of a 3-1 loss to the Pirates at Riverfront Stadium‚ a 21-year-old woman jumps from the red seats landing 35 feet below. Her death is ruled a suicide.
July 21Mired in last place in the NL West‚ 24 games below .500‚ the Reds fire manager John McNamara and replace him with 3B coach Russ Nixon.
July 25Steve Carlton pitches his 50th career shutout‚ a 1-0 five-hitter against the Dodgers and Jerry Reuss.
July 27Against California‚ Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals his 95th base but gets caught stealing 3 times in an 8-7‚ 13 inning California win. Not since 1916‚ has an American Leaguer been thrown out 3 times in a game. Rickey will be thrown out 42 times this year‚ breaking the mark of 38 caught steals set by Ty Cobb in 1915. Bob Boone‚ who is behind the plate‚ homers for the Angels. Reggie Jackson and Brian Downing homer and Jax adds 2 doubles.
July 28Atlanta’s Phil Niekro (10-3) posts his 250th career win 8-6 over the Padres. The 43-year-old knuckleballer will finish the season 17-4‚ leading the major leagues in winning percentage.

After a 3-2 loss to the Brewers‚ Rangers manager Don Zimmer is fired and replaced by Darrell Johnson. During the 1976 season‚ Zimmer had replaced Johnson as manager of the Boston Red Sox.
July 31Phillies 2B Manny Trillo misplays Bill Buckner‘s grounder in the 7th inning of a 2-0 win over the Cubs‚ ending his errorless string at 89 games and 479 consecutive chances. He falls 2 games short of Joe Morgan’s record 91-game streak‚ and his 479 straight chances set a ML record.

August

August 1Hank Aaron‚ Frank Robinson‚ Travis Jackson‚ and Happy Chandler are inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown‚ New York.
August 2Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals his 100th base of the season in a 6-5 win over Seattle‚ tying the AL record he set last season and leaving him with 56 games to break Lou Brock‘s single-season record of 118. Henderson is the first player ever to steal 100 bases twice.
August 3The White Sox sweep a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium 1-0 and 14-2‚ prompting Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to fire manager Gene Michael and replace him with pitching coach Clyde King. King is the Yankees’ 3rd manager this season.

Kansas City’s Frank White completes the cycle with an RBI triple in the bottom of the 9th to give the Royals a 6-5 win over the Tigers.

At California‚ Doug DeCinces cracks homers in his first 3 at bats‚ but the Angels still lose to the Twins‚ 5-4.
August 4OF Joel Youngblood becomes the first ML player ever to play for 2 different teams in 2 different cities on the same day‚ and collects a hit in each game. After going 1-for-2 off Fergie Jenkins in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field‚ a 7-4 Mets win‚ Youngblood is traded from the Mets to the Expos and flies to Philadelphia in time to enter the game that night in the 6th inning‚ going 1-for-1 off another Hall of Famer‚ Steve Carlton. The Phils beat the Expos‚ 5-4.
August 5Al Bumbry hits a leadoff HR-his second in two days-and Jim Palmer pitches a 3-hitter as the Orioles beat the Royals‚ 5-1.

Tim Wallach hits a grand slam off reliever Lyle to spark the Expos to a 9-2 win over the Phils.
August 6Jack Clark and Reggie Smith hit back-to-back home runs twice in San Francisco’s 7-6 win over Houston. The Giants trail 6-4 in the 9th inning before Clark and Smith homer to send the game into extra innings.

Just 5 days after hitting 3 home runs in a 5-4 loss to the Twins‚ California’s Doug DeCinces hits 3 more home runs in a 9-5 win at Seattle‚ joining Ted Williams as the only AL players ever to hit 3 home runs in a game twice in the same season.

The Yankees trade Bucky Dent to the Rangers for Lee Mazzilli. Dent was hitting only .169 and had lost his starting SS job to Roy Smalley.
August 10Bob Lillis replaces Bill Virdon as manager of the Houston Astros. Virdon was the senior manager in the NL‚ having managed the Astros since 1975.
August 11Houston’s Nolan Ryan pitches his 8th career one-hitter 3-0 at San Diego. Terry Kennedy‘s 5th-inning single is the only Padres hit.

Twins Terry Felton (0-11) is the losing pitcher in 6-3 loss to California‚ dropping his career record to 0-14‚ the worst individual start in ML history. Felton will never win a ML game‚ finishing his career with an 0-16 record.

The Brewers purchase veteran P Doc Medich from the Rangers. With the addition of Medich‚ the Brewers will sell Randy Lerch to Montreal on August 14. Doc will win 5 games for the Brewers.
August 14Atlanta snaps an 11-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Padres and moves back within 11?2 games of first-place Los Angeles in the NL West. Atlanta had held first place since April 27th before the streak.
August 15En route to a 8-0 win at Fenway over Baltimore‚ the Red Sox pick up 3 intentional walks in the 8th inning‚ tying the AL record.
August 16Richie Hebner returns to the Pirates‚ who buy the vet from the Tigers.
August 17Cincinnati’s Mario Soto fans 15 Mets in a 9-2 victory to raise his league-leading total to 209. Soto walks none. He will finish the season with 274 strikeouts‚ 2nd only to Steve Carlton‘s 286. The Reds Cesar Cedeno steals his 500th base‚ just the 10th player in history to reach that level.
August 18In the completion of a game suspended the previous day after 17 innings‚ the Dodgers beat the Cubs 2-1 in 21 innings despite running out of position players and having to use pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Bob Welch in the outfield. Jerry Reuss pitches the final 4 innings for the win‚ then starts the regularly scheduled game and wins again 7-4.

The Reds play 14 innings and overcome a 5-1 Mets lead to win 7-6. Cesar Cedeno singles in the winning run. Tomorrow‚ they will win in the 10th against the Mets‚ 3-1‚ on Ron Oester‘s HR.
August 19Scheduled to pitch against the Expos in a home game‚ Braves’ rookie Pascual Perez misses the start of the game when he can’t find his way to the ball park. Perez circles on the expressway several times but got lost. He will be given a Braves jacket with the new number I-85 on it. Niekro takes the mound and wins 5-4 to run his record to 11-3.
August 20In Atlanta‚ the Braves top the Mets 6-4 as Brett Butler makes his debut for the Braves. Butler has a single and RBI.

Padres rookie Alan Wiggins is suspended for one month by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn as a result of his July 21st arrest for cocaine possession.
August 21Milwaukee’s Rollie Fingers records his 300th career save in a 3-2 win at Seattle‚ becoming the first player to reach that milestone.
August 22Third-string catcher Glenn Brummer steals home with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Cardinals a 5-4 win over the Giants. Brummer‚ who was running on his own‚ will steal just 4 bases in his ML career.
August 23Seattle pitcher Gaylord Perry is ejected in the 7th inning of a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox for doctoring the baseball. It is the first time in his 20 ML seasons that the self-proclaimed spitball king has been bounced for that offense.

After days after challenging the Reds “no facial hair” policy‚ P Jim Kern finds himself a member of the Chicago White Sox. The Reds receive Wade Rowdon and OF Leo Garcia.
August 24Kansas City’s John Wathan steals his 31st base of the season in a 5-3 win over the Rangers‚ breaking the single-season record for catchers set by Ray Schalk in 1916. Wathan will finish the season with a career-high 36 SBs.
August 25In a 7-6 loss to Pittsburgh‚ San Diego outfielder Tony Gwynn breaks his wrist diving for a fly ball. Gwynn‚ hitting .271‚ will be out for three weeks. He’ll return September 13th‚ hit .348 for the rest of the year‚ but will fall short of the .300 mark for the only time in his career.
August 26The Expos Jeff Reardon (7-3) wins a pair in relief over the Astros‚ 3-2 and 5-3.
August 27Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases in Oakland’s 5-4 loss to Milwaukee to raise his total to 122 and break Lou Brock‘s single-season record of 118. The record-breaking 119th steal comes off pitcher Doc Medich and catcher Ted Simmons on a 3rd-inning pitchout. Milwaukee is now 6 1/2 games ahead in the AL East.

Dodger pinch hitters Rick Monday and Mike Marshall hit homers against Cubs in a 9-4 LA win. The last time two pinch hitters connected for round trippers in the NL was August 23‚ 1975 when Monday combined with then-Cub teammate Champ Summers to do it.
August 30In a slugfest featuring 7 homers-2 by Dwight Evans-Oakland beats Boston‚ 9-7.

The Phils split a pair with the Braves‚ winning 6-1 on Dick Ruthven’s 3-hitter‚ before losing game 2‚ 11-9. Dale Murphy‘s HR is Atlanta’s only score in the opener. Mike Schmidt has an inside-the-park HR in game 2‚ the 2nd of 3 he’ll hit.

In an effort to bolster its pitching staff for the pennant race‚ Milwaukee trades minor leaguers Kevin Bass‚ Frank DiPino‚ and Mike Madden to the Astros for veteran starter Don Sutton. Sutton has won 13 games for Houston this year. The Brewers are 4 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox.
August 31The Mets lose their 15th in a row 4-0 on Nolan Ryan‘s 2-hitter. The Mets will finally win the following day‚ beating the Astros 5-1.

September

September 4Power beats speed as theSan Francisco Giants top the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 on Jack Clark‘s 2-out 3-run homer in the 9th off Bruce Sutter. The Cards Lonnie Smith is 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 5 stolen bases.

At Baltimore‚ Jim Palmer one-hits the Twins 3-0 for Baltimore to get his 11th consecutive victory. The only hit is Gary Gaetti‘s 2-out single in the 5th inning. It is Palmer’s 2nd career one-hitter against the Twins.

Power beats speed as the San Francisco Giants top the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 on a Jack Clark 2-out 3-run homer in the 9th off Bruce Sutter. The Cards Lonnie Smith is 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 5 stolen bases.
September 5Despite managing just one hit-Al Oliver‘s solo home run in the 2nd inning off Garber-the Expos beat the Braves 2-1 on Rafael Ramirez‘s error in the bottom of the 9th. Kenny Rogers is the winner.
September 6In an 8-2 win over the Yankees‚ Benny Ayala belts the Orioles’ 11th pinch home run of the season to break the AL record set by the 1961 Yankees. The win is Baltimore’s 9th in a row.

Veteran 1B Willie Stargell‚ whose number is retired‚ is saluted by 38‚000 fans on his day at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. The 41-year-old slugger delivers a pinch single in the Pirates’ 6-1 win over the Mets.
September 7Pirates Jason Thompson hits his 30th home run of the season in a 9-5 win over the Mets‚ becoming just the 8th player in history to hit 30 home runs in a season in each league. Thompson hit 31 home runs for the Tigers in 1977.
September 11Nine months after re-signing him to a 3-year‚ $2 million contract‚ the Indians trade pitcher John Denny to Philadelphia for minor leaguers Jerry Reed‚ LeRoy Smith‚ and Wil Culmer.
September 12With Minnesota leading 7-4 in the bottom of the 4th‚ Terry Felton relieves Twins starter Brad Havens Felton leaves in the bottom of the sixth with one out‚ runners on first and second and his team clinging to a 7-6 lead. Both runners score and by the time the Royals are through‚ instead of his first ML win‚ Felton ended up charged with his 16th (and final) career loss. Kansas City wins royally‚ 18-7‚ one of the biggest comebacks of the decade. John Pacella‚ who takes over in the 8th‚ surrenders back-to-back dingers to Havens and White‚ tosses 2 wild pitches‚ and allows 6 runs. Aiken adds a pair of homers for KC.

For the 2nd time this season‚ Milwaukee gets 3 consecutive HRs-Cooper‚ Simmons‚ Oglivie-in a losing cause‚ as the Yankees win‚ 9-8. Six homers are hit in the game. Curt Kaufman wins his first ML decision and his only as a Yank.
September 13Steve Carlton (20-9) shuts out St. Louis 2-0 on 3 hits and raps a solo home run to become the major league’s first 20-game winner this season.

Steve Garvey has 4 hits including a game ending HR in the 16th‚ to lead the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over San Diego. J.R. Richards has 5 hits for the Pads.

The Niekro brother face off‚ with Joe (15-10) getting the better of Phil as Houston beats Atlanta‚ 5-3. Chambliss has a solo homer for Atlanta. For Phil Niekro (14-4) it is only his 4th loss of the year; he will top the NL in winning percentage this year at .810 (17-4). This is the last time the 2 brothers face each other. Starting in 1967‚ Joe’s record is 5-4 against his brother.
September 14Richie Hebner and Bill Madlock hit grand slams to lead the Pirates to a 15-5 rout of the Cubs.
September 19Milwaukee scores 9 runs in the 8th to roll over the Yankees‚ 14-1. Don Sutton is the victor. Gorman Thomas has a double-his 2nd-and HR in the big inning and Molitor adds a HR then as well.
September 21Playing against the Royals at Anaheim Stadium‚ outfielders Fred Lynn and Brian Downing crash through the LF fence while trying to catch a fly ball. Lynn makes the catch and it is ruled an out‚ the umpires reasoning that it is the same as if he had tumbled into the seats. California wins‚ 2-1‚ when Sconiers singles home the winner in the 9th.
September 22Light-hitting SS Chris Speier goes 3-for-5 with a club-record 8 RBI as Montreal beats Philadelphia 11-4.
September 24In the completion of a game suspended on July 9th‚ the Tigers beat Cleveland 4-3 when reliever Ed Glynn uncorks a wild pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 18th inning.
September 26Down 1-0 to the Braves in the 3rd‚ Padres OF Gene Richards hits a long fly ball down the LF line off Rick Camp that Terry Harper spears at the last second. But Harper’s momentum carries him out of bounds where he hits the railing dropping the ball. Meanwhile the speedy Richards circles the bases. The ump rules Harper did not hold the ball long enough for an out and he is charged with a 4-base error (later overruled by the League office to an inside-the-park HR for Richards). The Padres win the game 3-2.
September 27Willie McGee’s 3-run inside-the-park home run in the first inning sparks the Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Expos‚ clinching their first NL East title since divisional play began in 1969.

Atlanta’s Phil Niekro shuts out the Giants on 2 hits 7-0 to push the Braves back into a first-place tie with the Dodgers in the NL West. The Dodgers have lost 6 straight games.
September 28In the first game of a doubleheader‚ Toronto’s Jim Clancy (15-14) is deprived of a no-hitter when the Twins Randy Bush leads off the 9th inning with a broken-bat single. Clancy had retired all 24 batters he faced before Bush singled‚ and settles for a 3-0 one-hitter. In game 2‚ the Twins stake starter Terry Felton (0-13) to a 3-0 lead but the Jays tie it up‚ knocking Felton out of his last ML game. The Jays win it‚ 4-3.

Detroit’s Lance Parrish hits his 31st home run of the season in a 9-6 win over the Orioles‚ breaking the AL single-season record for catchers that he had shared with Yogi Berra and Gus Triandos.
September 29Ned Yost’s 3-run HR in the top of the 9th gives Milwaukee a 6-3 win over Boston. Milwaukee is 4 games in front of Baltimore with just 4 to play.

October

October 1Trailing the first-place Brewers in the AL East‚ the Orioles sweep a doubleheader with them 8-3 and 7-1 to cut their deficit to one game. 51‚583 fans at Memorial Stadium cheer the O’s on.

Mets pitcher Terry Leach tosses a 10-inning one-hitter against the Phillies‚ finally winning 1-0 on Hubie Brooks‘s sacrifice ?y. Luis Aguayo‘s 5th-inning triple is the Phillies sole hit. It is the only extra inning one-hitter in Mets history.
October 2The Angels clinch the AL West title with a 6-4 win over the Rangers.

Baltimore routs Milwaukee 11-3 to set up a winner-take-all showdown for the AL East title season finale. The O’s rapped 18 hits to turn a 3-3 tie into a route. Dave Stewart‚ in relief‚ wins his 10th of the year.

Houston hands the Reds their 100th loss of the season‚ 4-2‚ a first for the Cincy franchise. However‚ Reds P Mario Soto does set a better club record by striking out 9 batters to break Jim Maloney‘s mark of 265.

Rookie Brian Denman of the Red Sox shuts out the Yankees‚ 5-0‚ in what will be his final ML appearance. He is the 5th pitcher in the century to fire a shut out in his last appearance.
October 3Robin Yount smacks 2 home runs and a triple as Milwaukee whips Baltimore 10-2 to win the AL East championship. Don Sutton‚ 4-1 since being acquired by the Brewers in late August‚ is the winning pitcher. Milwaukee had lost 3 in a row to Baltimore before today’s pivotal victory. Despite Yount’s stellar game‚ he loses the AL batting title .332 to .331 to Kansas City’s Willie Wilson‚ who sat out the Royals’ final game. Yount ends the year with 114 RBI and joins teammates Cecil Cooper (121)‚ Gorman Thomas (112)‚ and Ben Oglivie (102) as only the 2nd foursome since 1940 to top the 100 RBI mark: The 1977 Bosox of Fisk‚ Rice‚ Hobson and Lynn were the others. Ted Simmons is just 3 short of 100 RBI or the Brewers would have joined the 1936 Yankees as the only squad with five 100-RBI hitters.

Atlanta loses 5-1 to San Diego‚ but clinches the NL West title anyway when San Francisco beats the 2nd-place Dodgers 5-3.

Veteran Joe Rudi hits a double and a 4th inning homer to pace to A’s to a 6-3 win at Kansas City‚ The homer comes in Rudi’s last at bat as he is replaced by Kelvin Moore.

St. Louis edges the Cubs‚ 5-4‚ in 14 innings after both clubs score in the 13th. Julio Gonzalez‚ who took over at 2B in the 3rd inning has 3 runs and 4 hits‚ including a game winning leadoff HR in the 14th off Ken Kravec. Cubs starter Doug Bird gets no decision but ends the year at 9-14‚ his first losing season after 9 none-losing‚. This streak ties him with 7 post-war pitchers: Erskine Ford‚ Pappas‚ Seaver‚ Marichal‚ Clemens‚ Hershiser.

Expos manager Jim Fanning resigns following the club’s season-ending 6-1 win over the Pirates and will return to the club’s front office. His 102-87 record as manager is the best in club history.
October 5Angels Don Baylor collects 5 RBI‚ tying an LCS record‚ as California takes game one 8-3 over Milwaukee. Tommy John picks up the win.
October 6California goes 2 up on Milwaukee‚ helped by Reggie Jackson‘s HR and Bruce Kison’s 5-hitter‚ winning 4-2.
October 7After rain washed out a 1-0 Atlanta lead in the 5th inning of yesterday’s NLCS opener‚ St. Louis crushes the Braves 7-0. Bob Forsch fires a 3-hitter.
October 8The pitching of veteran Don Sutton‚ and a 2-run home run by Paul Molitor‚ stave off elimination in the Brewers’ game against California.
October 9The Brewers even the series‚ beating California 9-5. Reserve OF Mark Brouhard has 3 hits‚ 3 RBI‚ and scores 4 runs for the winners.

After losing another game to rain‚ the Braves Phil Niekro is able to start the 3rd game of the NLCS after only 2 days rest‚ but St. Louis wins 4-3.
October 10St. Louis wins its first NL pennant since 1968 by defeating the Braves 6-2 to complete a 3-game sweep of the NLCS. Catcher Darrell Porter‚ who hit .556‚ is named series MVP.

In game 5 of the ALCS‚ the Brewers complete their comeback from a 2-0 deficit by edging the Angels 4-3 to earn their first-ever trip to the World Series. Angels OF Fred Lynn bats .611 for the series and is named MVP in a losing cause.
October 12Paul Molitor goes 5-for-6 to become the first player ever to collect 5 hits in a World Series game‚ and teammate Robin Yount goes 4-for-6 as the Brewers rout the Cardinals 10-0 in game one.
October 13St. Louis rallies to win 5-4 and even the WS.
October 15Willie McGee has 2 HRs to drive in 4 runs‚ and makes a great catch to save another run. Joaquin Andujar wins 6-2 despite having to leave the game after being hit by a line drive.
October 16Four Cardinal pitchers are helpless to stop the Brewers from rallying to a 7-5 win after Dave LaPoint‘s error in the 7th.
October 17Robin Yount records his 2nd 4-hit game of the Series to lead the Brewers to a 6-4 win in game 5 and give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead overall. Yount is the first player ever to have two 4-hit games in one World Series.
October 19The Cards sit through 2 rain delays to easily win game 6 by a 13-1 score.

Rather than give him the contract extension he requested‚ A’s president Roy Eisenhardt fires manager Billy Martin‚ who led the club to a 68-94 record this season after winning the AL West in 1981.
October 20St. Louis rallies for 3 runs in the 6th and Bruce Sutter saves the 7th game 6-3 win to give the Cards the World Championship.
October 22Despite having led his club to the AL West title‚ hard-luck Gene Mauch resigns as manager of the Angels. He will be replaced on November 2nd by John McNamara‚ who was fired in July as manager of the Reds.
October 26Steve Carlton wins the NL Cy Young Award for the 4th time‚ a record unmatched by any pitcher. The Phils 37-year-old lefthander‚ who led the NL in wins (23)‚ innings (2952?3)‚ strikeouts (286)‚ and shutouts (6)‚ was a previous winner in 1972‚ 1977‚ and 1980. He joins Walter Johnson and Willie Mays as the only players to be voted MVP or Cy Young winner 10 or more years apart.

November

November 1At a meeting in Chicago‚ the ML owners vote not to renew Commissioner Bowie Kuhn‘s contract‚ which will expire next August. The AL owners voted in favor of Kuhn 11-3‚ the NL 7-5. But his 18 votes left him 2 shy of the three-fourths majority required for reelection. Kuhn will remain on the job until a successor is found.

Thirty-eight-year-old Doug Rader‚ who spent the last 3 seasons as manager of the Padres’ Triple-A farm club‚ will pilot the Texas Rangers. The former infielder becomes the club’s 12th manager in its 12-year life.
November 3Pete Vuckovich becomes the Brewers’ 2nd consecutive AL Cy Young Award winner‚ edging Jim Palmer. Vuckovich was 18-6 with a 3.34 ERA for the AL champions‚ and has the highest winning percentage in the majors for the past 2 seasons.
November 4Yankees coach Mike Ferraro lands his first ML managing job‚ signing a 2-year contract to lead the Cleveland Indians. He will be fired before the end of the 1983 season.
November 9Robin Yount‚ who hit .331 for Milwaukee and led the league in hits (210)‚ doubles (46)‚ and slugging percentage (.578)‚ is a unanimous choice as AL MVP.
November 11Joe Altobelli succeeds the retired Earl Weaver as Orioles manager. Altobelli is the 2nd Yankees coach to take a managing job this month‚ and will be Baltimore’s first new pilot since 1968.
November 17Dale Murphy wins the NL MVP Award‚ becoming the first Braves player to be so honored since Hank Aaron in 1957. The centerfielder hit .281 with 36 HR‚ 109 RBI‚ 113 runs‚ and 23 stolen bases.
November 222B Steve Sax is named NL Rookie of the Year‚ the 4th consecutive Dodger to win the award. Sax hit .282 and stole 49 bases as Davey Lopes‘ replacement in the Los Angeles infield.
November 24Cal Ripken, Jr.‚ who hit .264 with 28 HRs as a SS-3B for the Orioles‚ is named AL Rookie of the Year.

December

December 1Free-agent slugger Don Baylor signs a reported 5-year‚ $5 million contract with the Yankees.
December 6The Red Sox trade 3B Carney Lansford‚ OF Garry Hancock‚ and minor leaguer Jerry King to Oakland for OF Tony Armas and C Jeff Newman. Lansford‚ who led the AL in hitting in ’81‚ is expendable with the emergence of Wade Boggs at 3B.

Kenneth Moffett‚ who helped mediate the 1981 baseball strike settlement‚ is named to succeed Marvin Miller as executive director of the ML Baseball Players’ Association.
December 9The Phillies trade 2B Manny Trillo‚ OF George Vukovich‚ SS Julio Franco‚ catcher Jerry Willard‚ and pitcher Jay Baller to the Indians for 24-year-old OF Von Hayes. Hayes hit .250 with 14 HRs and 32 SBs for Cleveland last season and is considered a potential star.

In what will turn out to be a pair of unwise deals‚ the Yankees sign free-agent OF Steve Kemp to a 5-year contract‚ and trade OF Dave Collins‚ pitcher Mike Morgan‚ and minor leaguer Fred McGriff to the Blue Jays for P Dale Murray and minor leaguer Tom Dodd.
December 13Free-agent P Floyd Bannister‚ who led the AL with 209 strikeouts at Seattle last season‚ signs a 5-year contract with the White Sox for a reported $4.5 million. As compensation‚ the M’s will pick minor leaguer Danny Tartabull from the player pool on January 20.
December 14The Giants trade veteran 2B Joe Morgan and reliever Al Holland to the Phillies for pitchers Mike Krukow and Mark Davis and minor leaguer Charles Penigar.

The Cardinals swap blue ribbon prospects Bobby Meacham and Stan Javier to the Yankees for 3 minor leaguers. Some observers think this is a lagniappe to New York for sending Willie McGee to the Cardinals last year in exchange for P Bob Sykes.
December 16Tom Seaver agrees to a new contract with the Mets‚ completing a trade that sends him back to New York from Cincinnati. The Reds receive pitcher Charlie Puleo and minor leaguers Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice for the 3-time Cy Young Award winner‚ who was 5-13 with a 5.50 ERA in 1982. Seaver will surprise the Reds by winning 47 more games before hanging it up in 1986.
December 21Free-agent 1B Steve Garvey signs a 5-year contract with the San Diego Padres.
December 22Versatile Lee Mazzilli is traded for the 3rd time this year. The Yankees send him to the Pirates for 4 minor leaguers‚ including pitcher Tim Burke.