Boys of Summer Return as 81-LA Clobbers 79-PIT

The long wait is over – and the boys of Summer take the field once again to ensue the ultimate race to the fall classic. There is electricity in the air, as the 1979 Pitt Pirates face the 1981 LA Dodgers for bragging rights in the National League, as these 2 teams, tied for first place, slug it out.

Game 1:
The long rest proved to be key for Bob Welch and the LA Dodgers, who were at Home for Game 1. LA pounced on Blyleven right away, beginning with a Double from Landreaux – who was Singled home by Guerrero and Garvey then added another Single. With 2 on, Ron “The Penguin” Cey belted a 3-run shot (his 3rd) off Blyleven. LA led 4-0 after 1, and grabbed another run in the 2nd for a quick 5-0 lead. Welch held his own and kept the Pirates scoreless giving up only 3 hits and 1 Walk thru 5 innings of work. “The Penguin” added another Homer to his resume (his 4th – and 2nd of the game) with a solo shot in the 4th – and Guerrero, feeling left out, contributed a solo shot of his own (his 1st) in the 5th. LA now led 7-0 after 5. In the 6th, Sanguillen pinch-hit for Blyleven – and his Double led the way for 2 quick runs for the Pirates. But, that did not rattle Welch, as he settled down and pitched a scoreless 7th & 8th. LA did manage another run in the 8th – and with an 8-2 lead going into the ninth, LA relaxed just enough to surrender a Double to Milner for another Pirates score. LA fans gave the players a standing ovation as they left the field. Final score: 8-3.

Game 2:
Fatigue was setting in for LA, so the Manager decided that he would rest his starters to keep them fresh for the long stretch ahead. Goltz was in for a ride, as LA had weak bats and a weak team in the field. As such, a nervous Goltz surrendered a monster 2-run blast by Stargell (his 2nd) in the 1st. The Pirates were trying making a statement. But, LA was not backing down – and Reggie Smith smacked a 2-run shot of his own (his 1st) in the bottom of the 1st. However, the weak D proved to be too much for LA – and they committed 3 errors, which led to 4 unearned runs from Goltz thru 6. The error committed by Frias in this game would go on to prove to be an important factor later in this series. LA did manage a couple more runs, and did manage to out hit the Pirates 11-8 – but the Offense lacked power and ran out of gas. The Pirates did exact revenge in this game to
recover a shared lead in the National League. Final score: 6-4.

Game 3:
LA took a different approach to this game – and decided to add a couple of starters to inject some needed power and Defense to back up their ace Fernando Valenzuela. The game started off slow – but “The Penguin” struck again with a 2-run blast (his 5th overall – and 3rd of this series) in the 2nd off Don Robinson. In the 4th, LA grabbed another run provided by Doubles from Garvey and Russell. Pittsburgh countered in the bottom half of the 4th with a blast from Bill Robinson (his 2nd). Leading 3-1, LA squeaked another run in the 7th off a couple of hits. Pittsburgh had a time of it and simply could not figure out Mr. Valenzuela and his screwball, who went on to pitch 8 solid innings giving up just 4 hits and that 1 run – while striking out 7. Stewart came in relief and shut the door on the Pirates. Final score: 4-1.

Game 4:
Looking for answers, Pittsburgh put Bibby on the mound – who had his work cut out for him facing Reuss….another LA ace. Can a ball club have 2 ace pitchers – it would seem this LA team has that luxury. Pittsburgh was also going to rely on the fact that LA once again was fielding a weak Defensive team – but Defense would play a big part in this game for LA. Pittsburgh and LA traded runs – with Pitt getting a couple of key hits off Reuss in the 2nd and
Johnstone hitting a solo shot (his 1st) off Bibby in the 3rd. The score was tied 1-1 going into the wild 5th inning. LA scored 3 runs in the 5th by way of back-to-back Doubles from Johnstone and Yeager. Not to be outdone, Pittsburgh countered with 2 runs of their own – with help from another Frias (LA) error and Bibby helping himself by hitting a 2-run shot (his 1st). LA led 4-3 after 5 – and would soon add to that when Monday hit a solo shot (his 1st) in the 6th. In
the 7th inning and leading 5-3, Reuss got into a serious jam – Stennett Doubled and Foli Singled leaving runners on 1st & 3rd with only 1 out – and Bill Madlock stepping to the plate. Sensing a big inning from Pittsburgh, the LA Manager called “time” to make a Defensive switch. Ron Cey (The Penguin) would replace the error-prone Frias at 3rd Base. That was a key move, as Madlock hit the ball right to Cey – who ended the threat with a double play. LA would go on to turn 4 double plays this game – and hold Pittsburgh scoreless the rest of the way. Final score: 5-3.

LA took the series 3 games to 1 by pounding on Pittsburgh’s starting pitchers – Blyleven gave up 7 runs, Kison gave up 4, Robinson gave up 4, and Bibby gave up 5 – while LA gave up a total of just 7 Earned Runs for the series (3 from Welch alone in Game 1) – and LA now holds the
lead (temporarily) in the National League.

-Contributed by George Bserani-