Brewers 5, Tigers 2
Brewers now 33-29 (3rd)
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DETROIT — Look out!
Not the words you want to hear Bob Uecker belting out on the radio when Paul Molitor is at the plate. Up 3-2 in the top of the ninth, we heard those exact words. Molitor took a Milt Wilcox fastball just above the ear flap.
Brewers fans breathed a sigh of relief as Molitor quickly bounced up and trotted to first base.
“When Paulie went down,” said manager Harvey Kuenn, “the first thing I thought about was I hoped he wasn’t hurt.”
Up to that point, Molitor was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a near miss home run into the depths of dead center field of Tiger Stadium.
“The second thing,” Kuenn continued, “was that he was throwing at him.”
Damn straight, he was.
Look out!
Wilcox then went up and in on Robin Yount. This time, Robin avoided being knocked upside the head. Some players may have reacted by charging the mound. Yount hit a single to center field to score Molitor, who had moved up to second on a wild pitch.
Wilcox was then removed from the game, replaced by Kevin Saucier. Yount would score and the Brewers would hold on to win 5-2.
Wilcox threw three wild pitches in the game and hit two batters, also pelting Ben Oglivie in the eighth. Was Wilcox just wild? Maybe. But Kuenn thinks some of the wild pitches had intent.
“The only thing I can say is that every dog has his day,” said Kuenn. “Every dog has his day.”
Game Notes: It was the fourth consecutive good start for Randy Lerch, who allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and went the first 4 2/3 innings without allowing a hit … Molitor may have avoided serious injury thanks to the ear flap, which became mandatory for all hitters this season … Jim Gantner, who strained his shoulder on a diving play yesterday, will miss the final two games of the series … Dwight Bernard extended his scoreless innings streak to 7 2/3 … Gorman Thomas was removed from the game in the eighth with a stomach muscle pull. He is questionable for tomorrow’s game … The Brewers are now five games back of the Red Sox in the AL East, the closest they’ve been to first since May 21.