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Brewers 1982

Brewers 1982

Covering the Milwaukee Brewers throughout the 1982 season, in real-time, as it would have happpened.

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Bruce Kison

Brewers are World Series Bound!

October 10 2 Comments

Brewers 4, Angels 3
Brewers win ALCS 3-2
Box Score | Season Schedule

Brewers fans storm the field
Brewers fans storm the field after Game 5 win

MILWAUKEE — Down two games to none just a few days ago, the Brewers had little hope of a World Series. Today, as I stand on the County Stadium infield with Pete Ladd‘s cap in my hand, the fans finally trickling back into the stands, we can say it: The Milwaukee Brewers are American League Champions.

Yes, after yet another heart-stopping, come-from-behind performance on Sunday, the Brewers beat the Angels 4-3 to advance to the World Series against either the Atlanta Braves or St. Louis Cardinals (the Cardinals lead two games to none and play tonight in Atlanta).

Declaring that baseball is a “game of inches” may be cliche, but today’s pennant deciding game was a prime example. There were several plays and non-plays, bounces of chance and clutch displays of amazing skill that led us to this celebratory stage. The game may have lasted three hours and one minute, but it was boiling over with memorable moments to last a lifetime. Let’s break it down…

Defense Early
Poor defense could have played the Brewers out of the game early, committing four errors in the first four innings.

With one out in the first and a runner on second, Reggie Jackson hit a liner at Molitor, who made a nice diving catch. However, Molitor then tried to make a quick throw to second to double up Downing, but no one was covering and the throw hit Downing on the helmet. The errant throw allowed Downing to move to third. The next batter, Fred Lynn, continued to destroy Brewers pitching by hitting a line drive base hit into left field that Oglivie misplayed. His error allowed Lynn to move to second. While allowing Lynn to move up wasn’t damaging (he would not score), Oglivie may have had a shot at Downing at home if not for the combination of the two errors. Frankly, the Brewers were lucky to allow only one run in the first.

With a runner on second and no one out in the fourth, Bobby Grich laid down a bunt towards first. Cecil Cooper picked it up, pulled the ball out of his glove and tagged Grich, who was moving into foul territory to avoid the tag. The problem was that Cooper was holding the ball in his bare hand and tagged Grich with an empty glove. Grich was initially called out, but after the Angels complained, home plate umpire Don Denkinger reversed the call and California had runners at the corners with no one out. Cooper did not tag Grich, this is true. The actual question is whether Grich ran outside of the baseline to avoid the tag. Regardless, it was ruled a sacrifice and an error on Cooper.

It would be a costly error. After Foli popped out to Cooper for the first out, Bob Boone executed his second squeeze bunt of the series to score DeCinces from third. While Boone would be safe on the play, it’s unlikely the Angels attempt a squeeze bunt had Grich been tagged out, making it two outs with Boone at the plate and a runner on third.

That said, it again could have been worse. Brian Downing grounded into an inning ending double play to keep the score at 3-1 Angels.

Defense Later
That double play in the fourth was the start of a new Brewers defense in this game. Up until that point, Milwaukee’s glovemen appeared content to throw the game away. From that poing forward, they did all thew could to save it.

The next big, game saving play came in the fifth. With one down and Reggie Jackson at first, Fred Lynn hit a bouncing ball over Cecil Cooper for a hit. Charlie Moore charged it down the first base line, and made a perfect throw on a line straight into Molitor’s glove without a bounce to nail Jackson. It was an unbelievable throw for the second out of the inning. Don Baylor, the next batter, would get another base hit that would have scored Jackson to make it a 4-2 game. Instead, the Angels did not score, and it remained 3-2. The Angels would have other opportunities to test Moore’s arm throughout the game, and each time they would pass.

The biggest play of the game was made by the most unlikely of heroes. Gorman Thomas is noticeably hobbled by a sore right knee, and it is affecting his play at the plate and in the field. With the Brewers up 4-3 in the eighth, Harvey Kuenn decided to lift Gorman from the game in favor of the speedy Marshall Edwards. The move would pay off almost immediately.

With one down, Don Baylor tested the new fielder with a rocket into the gap in left center. Edwards raced back to the track, leaping and crashing into the wall. The ball would have hit the top of the wall, but instead rested comfortably in the young center fielder’s glove. Doug DeCinces would then connect on a base hit into right that undoubtedly would have scored Baylor. Edwards saved a run.

Between these two plays, the Brewers defense saved at least two runs in spectacular fashion. Without either play, it would likely have been a different conclusion.

Molitor’s Baserunning
Paul Molitor led off the first inning with a line drive base hit into left field. Off the bat of any other hitter, it’s an automatic single. The ball was not in the gap, but was one that Downing charged head on. Molitor, though, was thinking two bases as soon as he hit it. The grass wet from rain, the ball slowed on its way to Downing and Molitor took second easily. Robin Yount then moved Molitor over to third on a ground out.

With one down, Cecil Cooper hit a ground ball to Doug DeCinces at third. DeCinces was distracted by Molitor at third and faked him back to the base before throwing a ball in the dirt to first. Molitor’s presence on third caused the throwing error, and there were runners on the corners and one out. If Molitor had been on second, he would have stayed there with the grounder to the left side, and Cooper is undoubtedly thrown out for the second of the inning.

Then, with one down instead of two, Ted Simmons hit a sacrifice fly that scored Molitor. Molitor’s single that turned into a double not only kept the number of outs to one instead of two, but it allowed him to get to third sooner to be in position for the sacrifice fly. That run was entirely thanks to Molitor.

Missed Opportunities
While the defense began turning things around in the fourth, the offense would not cooperate when given the opportunities in the middle innings. Missed opportunities at the plate — and an unfortunately placed grounder — nearly cost this team the game.

With Molitor and Gantner on 1st and 2nd and no outs in the 3rd, Robin Yount hit a smash right at Doug DeCinces at third, who was a step away from the bag. DeCinces quickly stepped on third and fired to second for a double play. Grich was taken out on a slide by Molitor, but otherwise it was very close to a triple play. It was a well hit ball, but it resulted in two outs and a runner on first. The Brewers would not be able to score in the third, and remained down 2-1.

In the fifth inning and the Angels leading 3-2, Cecil Cooper came up in his first clutch opportunity with two down and runners at first and second. Cooper struck out, and the Angels remained in the lead.

Oglivie Homer
Ben Oglivie didn’t play in Saturday’s game. The decision was likely two fold: Oglivie had gone 1-for-11 in the ALCS, and he injured his ribs in a collision with the wall on a Fred Lynn double in Game 3. The switch to Mark Brouhard for Game 4 proved to be one of the most ingenious moves of the series, as the back-up outfielder would key the Brewers win.

Oglivie returned to the lineup today, and he took several awkward swings that would lead observers to believe that his sore ribs were affecting his play. However, with one down in the bottom of the fourth, Oglivie hit a Bruce Kison changeup over the right field wall to make it a 3-2 game.

The run was crucial for an offense having trouble scoring. It kept the Brewers close and made the eventual win possible.

Relief Pitching
In a series with an unending list of story lines, the emergence of the Brewers bullpen is near the top. It was this group that struggled so mightily during the past couple of months, giving away several leads and wins along the way. But relief pitching was this team’s shining star in the ALCS.

With one down in the seventh, Brewers starter Pete Vuckovich walked Rod Carew. Harvey Kuenn summoned lefty Bob McClure, who induced a Reggie Jackson inning-ending double play on his first pitch. McClure would then cruise through the eighth, aided significantly by Edwards’ play in the outfield.

McClure would give up a lead-off single to Ron Jackson in the top of the ninth with a one run lead. Pete Ladd then came on to replace McClure. Bob Boone bunted over the runner for the first out, and Ladd got the final two batters to ground out to end the game.

The Brewers bullpen allowed one earned run on only five hits in 10 2/3 innings in this series. Pete Ladd was the poster boy of relief success, retiring all 10 batters he faced and striking out five. The impressive performance of the bullpen was a big reason this team is advancing to the World Series.

Clutch Hitting and Lucky Bounces
With one down in the seventh, Charlie Moore hit a jam shot that was falling into no-man’s land behind the pitcher’s mound. Bobby Grich dove and caught it on the bounce. The attempt was correctly called a trap, to Grich’s dismay, and Moore was safe on an infield single. But had Grich caught the ball, there would have been two down.

Gantner then hit a single and Molitor popped out into foul territory. Again, had Grich made the catch, the inning would have been over. Instead, Robin Yount was up with a man on first and two down. Yount took a very close pitch for ball four that could have conceivably been called either way, and Cecil Cooper was then up with two down and the bases loaded.

Had Grich made that catch or a ball been instead called a strike, this inning was over. Instead, Cooper came up and laced a two-RBI single into left to take a 4-3 lead. It was the biggest hit in the history of this franchise. But a hit that needed assistance to be possible.

Destiny
Is baseball a game of inches? Damn right it is. I recognize that had several bounces gone a different way, the Brewers’ season would be over. I also recognize that the incredible skill displayed by the defense (after a bad start) and bullpen as well as some very clutch baserunning and hitting led to this win. The Brewers earned every bit of the American League Championship.

But with each big play that leads to another jaw-dropping win, it’s becoming clear that the Brewers aren’t just a good team. They are a great team. And a team of destiny.

Your American League Champion Brewers will face either the Braves or Cardinals in the World Series on October 12, though it may start later depending on the completion date of the NLCS.

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bob Boone, Bob McClure, Bobby Grich, Brian Downing, Bruce Kison, Cecil Cooper, Charlie Moore, Don Baylor, Doug DeCinces, Fred Lynn, Gorman Thomas, Harvey Kuenn, Mark Brouhard, Marshall Edwards, Paul Molitor, Pete Ladd, Pete Vuckovich, Reggie Jackson, Robin Yount, Rod Carew, Ron Jackson, Ted Simmons

Brouhard Leads Crew to Win

October 9 1 Comment

Brewers 9, Angels 5
ALCS is now tied 2-2
Box Score | Season Schedule

Mark Brouhard was today’s hero

MILWAUKEE — Down two games to one, the Brewers needed a win to stay alive in the American League Championship Series. Thanks to an explosive offense and some solid pitching from starter Moose Haas, the Brewers beat the Angels 9-5 today and will live to see another day.

The story in this one centered on the unexpected wildness of Angels starter Tommy John. John had walked only 39 batters in 221 2/3 innings between the Yankees and Angels this season (a 1.6 per nine innings average), including only two wild pitches in seven starts with the Angels. John walked five in only 3 1/3 disastrous innings on today, throwing more wild pitches (three) than he had previously in an Angels uniform.

The subplot of the game was the offensive performance by back-up outfielder Mark Brouhard. Ben Oglivie bruised his ribs crashing into the wall on a Fred Lynn double yesterday and was unavailable.

“When Benji came in today,” said manager Harvey Kuenn, “he said his ribs were very sore. When he tells me that, I know he’s hurting.” So Kuenn inserted Brouhard, who hadn’t played since September 11.

Well, the move paid off. Brouhard would connect on three hits, driving in three and tying an ALCS record with four runs scored.

With one down and two on in a scoreless game in the second, Brouhard laced a single to center that drove in two. He also scored on the play, thanks to two Angels errors that aided his gallop around the bases. The Brewers led 3-0, but Brouhard’s biggest contribution would come later on.

The Brewers had what appeared to be an insurmountable 7-1 lead heading into the eighth inning, but the Angels finally solved Moose Haas, who had cruised to that point. A Don Baylor grand slam made it a two-run game, and the raucous Milwaukee crowd was silenced.

But with Marshall Edwards on second in the bottom of the eighth, Brouhard calmed the nerves of local fans by delivering a two-run homer to give the Brewers a comfortable four-run lead.

Was Brouhard nervous? “Before the game, we had a flip game in the clubhouse, using a plastic ball. I got in that and just tried to relax.”

Brouhard’s home run gave the Brewers the cushion they needed. Jim Slaton continued the Brewers’ uncharacteristic relief success by not allowing a baserunner in 1 2/3 innings pitched. The bullpen, which struggled through much of the second half this season, has now allowed only one earned run on three hits through eight innings in the ALCS.

Brewers fans had plenty to be happy about in this game. Moose Haas outpitched Tommy John, and looked like a staff ace until his eighth inning collapse. The Brewers’ offense finally put up three runs or more twice in one game, and the bullpen remains rock solid.

What is there to be concerned about if you’re a Brewers fan? Well, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas continued to struggle in the postseason, both going hitless in this game. Cooper is hitting .125 in the ALCS and Thomas .083. Both are critical to this team’s success, and their lack of offense has a lot to do with the Brewers’ recent inability to score runs.

But here we are, facing a Game 5 at home on Sunday. The winner goes to the World Series. The Brewers have Pete Vuckovich on the mound against the Angels’ Bruce Kison. Kison held the Brewers to two runs in Game 2, and Vuke hasn’t been at his best since an inspirational 11-inning win against the Red Sox on September 20.

It’s the most important baseball game in Milwaukee since Game 7 of the 1958 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees. Will the Crew come through?

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bruce Kison, Cecil Cooper, Don Baylor, Fred Lynn, Gorman Thomas, Harvey Kuenn, Jim Slaton, Mark Brouhard, Marshall Edwards, Moose Haas, Pete Vuckovich, Tommy John

Kison Dominates Brewers 4-2

October 6 4 Comments

Angels 4, Brewers 2
Angels now lead ALCS 2-0
Box Score | Season Schedule

This is the nerd who dominated the Brewers today.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Paul Molitor hit a two-run, inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is the extent of your Brewers highlights for Wednesday night’s 4-2 Game 2 loss to the California Angels in the American League Championship Series.

Bruce Kison was on the mound for the Angels, a solid veteran hurler, but the type of pitcher these Brewers have mashed repeatedly all season long. Instead, Kison allowed only two runs on five hits while striking out eight in nine innings of work.

Meanwhile, the Brewers had the — reportedly — leading AL Cy Young candidate on the mound in Pete Vuckovich. Vuke was fine, but was far from matching Kison’s precision. Vuckovich pitched eight innings, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks.

Of course, the Brewers provided other moments for the highlight reel. Molitor also had a single. Yount had a single. Charlie Moore connected on two singles. And that… well, that’s it.

Wait, it actually gets a bit worse. The Brewers only managed five hits (four of which were singles), and they never walked once. Eliminating the final regular season win for a moment, the Brewers have scored 12 runs in the other five most recent games.

Harvey’s Wallbangers?

While the Orioles feasted during the first two innings in the final regular season series, the Angels have scored eight runs during the third and fourth innings so far, at least one run in each inning. Brewers pitchers need to find a way to get through the early stages of the game.

The Brewers now trail the Angels two games to none. Unlike the final Orioles series when the Brewers needed to only win one of four games to move on, Milwaukee is in a much more urgent situation this time around. Down 2-0, they must string off three consecutive wins. A feat, as Rob Peterson pointed out in today’s preview, that has never been accomplished.

“We had two losses to use up,” reflected Paul Molitor, “and both of them are used. “You simply can’t get any closer than this to saying hello to the offseason. We have to regroup, though we all know it’s a tough task to win three straight.”

Sure is. Especially considering this team has lost six of their last seven.

Luckily, the remainder of the series will be played entirely within Milwaukee County Stadium. The home fans may just provide that extra boost the Brewers need to get back into this thing. Though to be fair, their record at home this season (48-34) is nearly identical to their road record (47-33).

In other words, World Series plans need to be put on hold. At this point, I simply want the Brewers to win a game. One game. It’s not asking much. Give us something to be proud of.

Don Sutton is scheduled to be on the mound for the Game 3 match-up at 7:25 pm CDT in Milwaukee on October 8 after a day off. The Brewers offense will need to wake up against 18-game winner Geoff Zahn.

What do you think? Do the Brewers still have a chance to pull this out?

Injury Update: Prior to the game, there were rumors that Vuckovich may not be able to pitch due to a sore shoulder. He received a couple of cortisone shots for the injury, which manager Harvey Kuenn calls a “tired arm,” during the past week.

National League Championship Series: The opening game of the NLCS was stopped due to rain with one out in the fifth inning and the Braves leading 1-0. Only two outs from being official, the game was called after two hours and 28 minutes of delays. They’ll instead play tomorrow.

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Bruce Kison, Charlie Moore, Don Sutton, Geoff Zahn, Harvey Kuenn, Paul Molitor, Pete Vuckovich

ALCS Game 2 Preview

October 6 1 Comment

ANAHEIM, Calif. — You would think there wasn’t enough room for any more entertainment in a city that is home to Disneyland. But it appears the Brewers are trying to bring their three-ring circus to town.

After barely winning the AL East (no, really, the roller coaster ride was fun, it was …) by losing three of four games to the Baltimore Orioles, the Brewers put themselves in a 1-0 hole in their American League Championship Series with an ugly 8-3 loss to the California Angels.

You can read all the gruesome details in our recap, but it wasn’t pretty as the Crew looked overwhelmed in Game 1. And while we’re asking you if you think Game 2 is must win, let me put it this way, no team in either league has rebounded from a 2-0 deficit in a league championship series. None. No one. Not one. Never.

Then again, these are the Brewers, causers of cardiac arrest, messers of minds, archdukes of anxiety. They seem to take a certain glee in making the faithful sweat. But history shows the sweating will become profuse with another loss even with the final three games at County Stadium.

The Crew will send Cy Young candidate Pete Vuckovich (18-6) against Bruce Kison (10-5), who started the season as a starter, but was moved to the bullpen. He hasn’t started a game since June 22.

The Brewers’ results against Kison have been mixed. He pitched eight shutout innings in a 7-2 Angels win in Milwaukee on May 19. Just 11 days later, the Crew rocked him for five runs on May 30.

This is a prime opportunity for the Crew to avoid an 0-2 hole. Let’s hope they take it.

Here are today’s lineups. Go Crew!

# Brewers POS
1 Molitor 3B
2 Yount SS
3 Cooper 1B
4 Simmons C
5 Oglivie LF
6 Thomas CF
7 Howell DH
8 Moore RF
9 Gantner 2B
Vuckovich SP
# Angels POS
1 Downing LF
2 Carew 1B
3 Jackson LF
4 Lynn CF
5 Baylor DH
6 DeCinces 3B
7 Grich 2B
8 Foli SS
9 Boone C
Kison SP

Filed Under: ALCS Preview Tagged With: Angels, Bruce Kison, Pete Vuckovich

Brewers Lose Game 1

October 5 3 Comments

Angels 8, Brewers 3
Angels now lead ALCS 1-0
Box Score | Season Schedule

Tommy John held the Brewers’ bats in check.

ANAHEIM — Coming into Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, Brewers fans had a simple request: Take it easy on us this time, Crew.

Enough of the theatrics. We get it, you’re an exciting team. No further need to convince anyone. You like to come back from huge deficits to add a little spice into life’s mixing bowl.

The opening game against the Angels, unfortunately, brought back memories of the opening game in the regular season-ending series with the Orioles. The Brewers lost that opening game against the Orioles, 8-3.

Tonight? The Brewers again lost a critical opening game by the score of 8-3. Here we go again…

Unlike the opening Orioles game, the Brewers were in this one early, despite some defensive jitters. A first inning errant throw and wild pitch by Mike Caldwell led to an unearned run and a 1-0 Angels lead. But the Brewers came right back in the top of the second, scoring two on a home run by Gorman Thomas.

The Brewers extended their lead to 3-1 in the third on an RBI ground out by Cecil Cooper, and suddenly it appeared the Brew Crew was going to win this critical opening game.

Then, in the bottom of the third, the Angels’ offense struck. Caldwell allowed four runs on four hits and a walk, and California retook the lead, 5-3. It was all downhill from there, as the Angels tacked on three more runs while the Brewers’ bats went silent.

Angels DH Don Baylor benefited from Caldwell’s poor outing to the tune of five RBI, tying a playoff record. You may recall that Baylor becomes a free agent at year’s end. A strong postseason can only help his cause.

It’s time to wonder whether Mike Caldwell is gassed. He finished fourth in the AL in innings pitched with 258 and led the Brewers in complete games with 12. Durability is nice, but rest can help as well. In today’s preview, we talked about how Caldwell had gone 14 consecutive games of seven innings or more. That streak ended abruptly today after the third inning. It was Caldwell’s second consecutive disastrous start, so it’s not a positive trend for the veteran hurler.

Of course, we can’t pin this loss entirely on Caldwell when the offense could only muster three runs off of 39-year-old lefty Tommy John, who pitched a complete game for the win.

“When he gets a lead,” Ted Simmons explained, “he’s very difficult to catch. He makes hitters get too aggressive and you end up swinging at bad pitches.”

Swing at bad pitches, they did. The inconsistent offensive output has become far too common of late — almost to the point where this team is consistently inconsistent.

Granted, this was far from a must win game. It would have been a very nice gift to win Game 1 on the road against the Angels’ best pitcher. Such a scenario would have granted Brewers fans a temporary breather. But once again, our team’s collective backs are up against the wall.

On the injury front, second baseman Jim Gantner played through a rib injury that has flared up of late and went 0-for-4. It looks like something that will bother him for the duration of the playoffs, but he’ll play through it.

“It’s not going to get much better,” said Gantner, “so why wait until it does?”

Hopefully this injury won’t become an issue to the point where it’s costing the team outs, runs and wins. Right now, the Brewers need to win.

Is Game 2 a must win? Maybe not. But close. If the Brewers lose an advantageous match-up of Pete Vuckovich vs. Bruce Kison, they’ll need to string off three consecutive wins. Not impossible, but I don’t like the odds.

What do you think? Is Game 2 a must win?

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Bruce Kison, Cecil Cooper, Don Baylor, Gorman Thomas, Jim Gantner, Mike Caldwell, Pete Vuckovich, Ted Simmons, Tommy John

Brewers Are Loose in Win

May 30 Leave a Comment

Brewers 7, Angels 3
Brewers now 22-23 (4th)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Cecil Cooper
Cecil Cooper went 2-for-4 with his sixth homer of the season.

ANAHEIM — After blowing three-run leads in back-to-back games, it was nice to flip the script on the Angels today.

Down 3-0 in the fifth, the Brewers busted out for four runs on starter Bruce Kison, highlighted by a two-out, two-run homer by first baseman Cecil Cooper. Knowing the team’s recent history of giving back leads, it was also comforting when the Crew tacked on three more runs via a single by Marshall Edwards and homers by Ted Simmons and Ben Oglivie.

Were the Brewers loose? Apparently. Closer Rollie Fingers walked out to the mound for the ninth, but Jamie Easterly, who had come on in the eighth, was already there. Fingers looked at Easterly with a straight face and said, “Hey, Rat. I’m the pitcher,” referring to Easterly’s nickname.

“Did Buck forget to tell me?” Easterly asked. Fingers laughed and trotted back to the dugout. It was all a set-up.

It was only one win, and only the sixth in their last 19 games. But that only makes you appreciate it more.

Game Notes: Gorman Thomas, who injured his shoulder diving for a ball on May 28, is unable to move his arm more than a few inches. Team says he could be out up to three weeks, though Thomas thinks he’ll be back in seven to 10 days … Since Charlie Moore is also out with a jammed thumb, the Brewers are without a reserve outfielder … If Thomas is put on the disabled list, the Brewers may call up Kevin Bass or make a trade for an outfielder … In the four games against the Angels, Cecil Cooper had seven hits, including three homers and six RBI.

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bruce Kison, Cecil Cooper, Charlie Moore, Gorman Thomas, Jamie Easterly, Kevin Bass, Marshall Edwards, Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons

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