Brewers 1982

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

Jim Gantner

Harvey’s Wallbangers Return in 7-4 Win

Brewers 7, Blue Jays 4
Brewers now 60-44 (1st by 1 game)
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Rollie Fingers
Rollie Fingers shut the door with three nearly perfect innings.

TORONTO — The Brewers have scuffled of late, winning only six of their last 15 games coming into today. They needed an old fashioned “Harvey’s Wallbangers” revival. They got it.

Milwaukee got off to a quick start in the first inning as Robin Yount singled home Paul Molitor and Cecil Cooper homered off the right field foul pole for his 21st of the season to make it 3-0.

“I finally hit a ball hard,” Cooper, who had the top part of his right shoe cut off to relieve pressure on his ailing big right toe, said after the game. Coop isn’t the only one who has struggled with the bat of late.

This is a team, not too long ago, that was ahead of the record-setting pace of the 1961 New York Yankees for most home runs in a season. Entering today’s game, though, the Brewers had smacked only two long balls during the previous seven games. That changed today.

Following a 61-minute rain delay in the bottom of the first inning, Pete Vuckovich kept the Blue Jays scoreless for the first three innings. In the bottom of the third, catcher Ted Simmons launched his 16th home run of the season to make it 4-0 Brewers. Then Jim Gantner and Paul Molitor hit back to back RBI singles in the fourth to knock Jim Clancy from the game and make it a 6-0 Brewers lead.

Things got a little sticky for Vuke in the bottom of the fourth when the Blue Jays reached on five consecutive singles to make it a 6-3 game. Vuke survived, though, and was solid the rest of the way.

Paul Molitor capped the Brewers’ scoring in the top of the 7th with a solo home run to make it 7-3, and Blue Jay Ernie Whitt added one more Toronto run with a solo homer of his own in the bottom of the inning.

If it seems like Whitt has given Vuckovich trouble this season, you’re right. In 138 1/3 innings this season, Vuke has allowed only four home runs, but two of them were to Whitt. “He’s like Babe Ruth against me,” Vuckovich laughed.

Vuke was able to laugh because the Brewers held on for a full-team win. Closer Rollie Fingers took the mound in the 7th and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only a bunt single, to collect his 24th save of the season, requiring only 29 pitches to do it.

Now that the Brewers are once again combining home run power with solid pitching, are Harvey’s Wallbangers back? “I hope it stays this way for the next month,” Kuenn said. “It kind of reminded me of June and July [when everything went right].”

The Red Sox split a double header with the Orioles, giving the Brewers a one game lead in the AL East.

Game Notes: Vuckovich had to be removed after the sixth inning because he was fatigued due to an 11-inning start against the Indians last time out.

Yount’s Homers Not Enough

Royals 6, Brewers 4
Brewers now 55-39 (1st)
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Robin Yount
Robin Yount's two home runs were not enough.

KANSAS CITY — Royals starting pitcher Larry Gura had a dream last night. “I had a no-hitter through eight innings,” he told the Milwaukee Sentinel after the game. “I told my wife I didn’t know what happened in the ninth.”

Well, Robin Yount put an end to that dream quickly with a home run in the first inning, but Gura did a good job of holding the Brewers’ bats down all game long in a 6-4 Royals win.

In fact, other than the first inning home run and a second Yount homer in the fourth, Gura was perfect through the first 6 1/3 innings. He was so frustrated with Yount that in the sixth inning he told catcher Don Slaught to let Robin know what pitch was coming next. Slaught declined and Yount grounded out to third.

Gura should not be ashamed considering Yount is 14-for-23 (.609) on this road trip, and is now hitting .337 overall, only eight points behind the league leader, Royal Willie Wilson.

Trailing 6-2 in the seventh, the Brewers did manage to make the game interesting. With one out, Ted Simmons doubled off of the wall in right center and Gura then walked both Gorman Thomas and Ben Oglivie to load the bases. Don Money then hit a two-run single to end Gura’s night and Mike Armstrong relieved him. Jim Gantner then hit a liner to center that Willie Wilson misjudged, only to recover and make a spectacular running catch. If not for his speed, the Brewers would have likely tied the game there if not taken the lead.

Armstrong would allow only a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings for his third save, giving the Royals the series win.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, the Boston Red Sox beat the Twins to pull back to within a half game of first place. But if you ask Harvey Kuenn, Boston may not be the team the Brewers should be worrying about.

Every morning, he opens the sports section to check the AL East standings. He starts with the Brewers and then scrolls down to find out where the Orioles are, the team he fears the most in the division.

Game Notes: The Brewers have a .681 winning percentage since Harvey Kuenn took over.

Vuckovich Returns, Brewers Win

Brewers 7, Royals 4
Brewers now 55-38 (1st)
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Pete Vuckovich
Pete Vuckovich returned to do what Pete Vuckovich does: WIN.

KANSAS CITY — After missing some time with an injured hand, ace Pete Vuckovich returned to the mound today against the Royals. It didn’t start out pretty for Vuke, but then again his starts rarely are a thing of beauty. He just wins.

The Brewers took a first inning lead on a two-run home run by Cecil Cooper, his 20th of the season. Vuckovich gave a run back in the first following a leadoff triple by Willie Wilson and a sacrifice fly by UL Washington. The Brewers extended their lead to 4-1 in the 2nd after a series of singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. But the Royals tied it back up when they scored three more runs on Vuke on four hits, a walk and an error.

Cecil Cooper made it 5-4 in the third on a comebacker to the mound that scored Yount, and then both offenses remained silent until the ninth. At that point, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount took matters into their own hands, knocking in two more runs to give Vuke a little more cushion.

Vuckovich won, pitching a complete game and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits. He improved to 11-4 on the season.

Game Notes: The Red Sox lost, thereby increasing the Brewers’ lead in the AL East to a game and a half. … Robin Yount lined a single off of rookie pitcher Derek Botelho in the third, knocking him from the game. … Brewers hitters are hot. During the last 19 games, Robin Yount is hitting .430; Jim Gantner is hitting .549 over his last 17 games; Ted Simmons is hitting .408 over his last 12 games; and Don Money is hitting .464 over his last eight games.

Brewers, Twins Brawl

Twins 5, Brewers 3
Brewers now 53-37 (1st)
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1982 Donruss Robin Yount
Robin Yount's slide started the brawl.

MINNEAPOLIS — When you open your newspaper and look at the box score in the morning, you’ll see that the Twins beat the Brewers 5-3, beating the Crew for the second straight time and forcing a first place tie with the Red Sox. But if you focus on that, you miss the story.

This wasn’t a baseball game. It was a brawl. During breaks from the brawl, they played some baseball.

It all started in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kent Hrbek slid hard and high into Jim Gantner in an unsuccessful attempt to break up a double play. Gantner was sent sprawling and would be removed from the game with a deep thigh bruise.

“I don’t care when they slide low,” Gantner told the Milwaukee Sentinel after the game, “but when they hit me up here [upper thigh] they were in the air.”

Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn was furious about the slide. He immediately charged the field to come to his second baseman’s aid. On the way off the field, he was seen jawing at Hrbek.

“You can quote me,” Kuenn said later. “I called him a no good SOB for taking a cheap shot at my second baseman. He told me he was just sliding but he’s full of it. You might be able to slide like that in A ball but up here’s a different story. He’s a big boy in a big man’s game. It was a cheap shot. Period.”

Hrbek watched the tape after the game and admitted it was a poor slide. “I am a poor slider and I guess that proved it.”

Kuenn didn’t buy it. “If he’s a bad slider,” he said, “get some sliding lessons.”

The Brewers would get their revenge in the sixth. With Paul Molitor on second and Robin Yount on first, Cecil Cooper hit a double play ball to second baseman Juan Castino. Castino flipped to shortstop Lenny Faedo for the force and Yount went far outside of the baseline to take out Faedo and knocked him on the temple with his forearm.

“I knew something would happen,” said Faedo, “but I never thought he’d come after me. I was just going for the force. The next thing I know he was on the turf trying to get me.”

Castino and centerfielder Bobby Mitchell then charged Yount while Brewers first base coach Ron Hansen tried to break up the fracas. It was too late as both benches cleared for a 10-minute brawl. Players were seen pushing and shoving across the field. Kent Hrbek and Brewers pitcher Bob McClure would emerge from the pile throwing punches. Ben Oglivie, Charlie Moore and Ted Simmons then came to McClure’s aid and ambushed Hrbek.

“I figured something was going to happen,” said Hrbek. “He [Kuenn] told me he was going to get me. I guess they got me.”

Hrbek and McClure would be ejected from the game.

When order was finally restored, a game was played. Jack O’Connor limited the Brewers offense to two runs on five hits through 6 2/3 innings. Mike Caldwell allowed five runs on 11 hits in the same length of time.

But the game was the side show. Everyone who witnessed this game will forever be talking about the brawl. Though the Brewers lost, it could be a moment that further brings them together as a team.

The first test is tomorrow, as they look to avoid the sweep.

Twins End Brewers’ Streak at Eight

Twins 6, Brewers 4
Brewers now 53-36 (1st)
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Paul Molitor
This was a game that Molitor would prefer to forget.

MINNEAPOLIS — Heading into today’s game, the last time the Brewers lost was on July 8 to the Minnesota Twins. Guess it was only fitting that those same Twins would be the team to end the eight-game winning streak that took place in between.

After the first at bat, there was a sense that this game may not go the Brewers’ way. Paul Molitor lined a rocket into center that Twins outfielder Bobby Mitchell chased after. He took the risk of diving for it at full extension. It’s a risk in this situation because if Mitchell misses and the ball gets by him, it was a likely inside-the-park home run. Instead, Mitchell made a magnificent catch and Molitor was the first out of the game.

“If there was ever an omen for what my night was going to be like that was it,” said Molitor. The worst was yet to come for him.

Brewers spot starter Jerry Augustine was cruising through the Twins lineup into the third inning. Seven up, seven down. Then Lenny Faedo hit a grounder that spun out of Molitor’s glove and reached first on the error. Juan Castino then grounded into what should have been the inning-ending out. But thanks to Molitor’s miscue, there were only two down with a runner on.

Augustine then walked Mitchell and DH Dave Engle rolled another grounder Molitor’s way. The third basemen again misplayed the ball, and the bases were loaded with two outs. Tom Brunansky then launched a drive to center reminiscent of Molitor’s first inning drive. Gorman Thomas attempted to play the part of Bobby Mitchell in center. He dived, but the ball got by him and to the wall.

“If [Thomas] catches that ball,” Brunansky told the Milwaukee Sentinel, “the game’s over and they win it.”

Instead, it was an inside-the-park grand slam for Brunansky. A play that never would have happened if not for one Molitor error, but he made two. That inning was the story of the game.

Augustine would pitch well enough to win, allowing only two earned runs in eight innings. The Brewers would score four runs, three thanks to two home runs by Robin Yount. But because of that one inning — and ultimately because of Molitor — the streak ended today.

It’s tough to be too hard on a player like Molitor, who by all accounts is having a good season with a .289 batting average. But it’s moments like these that give Brewers fans flashbacks to the “old Brewers” of only a couple of months ago that couldn’t get out of their own way in the field.

For now, we’ll chalk it up to a bad day. A new day is tomorrow.

Game Notes: Jim Gantner, who continued his hot hitting with three base hits today, was named AL Player of the Week. Now hitting .346, his average is high enough to lead the league but he does not have enough at bats to qualify.