After a rough start to his time in Milwaukee, Simmons has emerged as a leader, both in the clubhouse and at the plate.
Ted Simmons
Closers Fall, Brewers Lose in 9th
Royals 4, Brewers 3
Brewers now 54-38 (1st)
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KANSAS CITY — Through eight full innings, neither the high powered Brewers nor the Royals could score a run. Starters Bob McClure and Paul Splittorff did all they could do, but neither pitcher would earn a decision.
The game fell on the two preeminent closers in the game, Dan Quisenberry of the Royals and Rollie Fingers of the Brewers. Things changed in a hurry.
Quisenberry took the mound after Splittorff allowed a leadoff single to Ted Simmons in the ninth. Gorman Thomas deposited an 0-2 fastball into the left field bleachers to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. On the very next pitch, Ben Oglivie made it 3-0 with a home run of his own.
You’d think that would be more than enough to win. Whether or not McClure would remain flawless, the Brewers have Rollie Fingers as back-up. Surely, he wouldn’t fail like Quisenberry, right?
Unfortunately, wrong. McClure allowed a leadoff single to UL Washington and George Brett connected on the first well-hit ball off of McCLure on the evening, a two run home run. Rollie Fingers took the mound and allowed three singles that tied the game before Frank White laid down a successful suicide squeeze to win the game.
Kuenn said it was the hardest defeat in his 45 games as the team’s manager. It may be Brewers’ fans hardest defeat of the season.
Brewers, Twins Brawl
Twins 5, Brewers 3
Brewers now 53-37 (1st)
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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.
Brewers Win Seventh Straight
Brewers 5, White Sox 2
Brewers now 52-35 (1st)
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MILWAUKEE — It was only a matter of time.
Through six innings, White Sox starter Britt Burns had the vaunted Brewers offense figured out. No runs on three hits, including three 1-2-3 innings. After six and one half innings of play, the White Sox led the Brewers 2-0.
Of course, you can’t keep this team down forever. When you have the chance, you’d better create a larger cushion than a measly two runs. That ain’t gonna hold up. It didn’t tonight.
With two down and Don Money standing on second, Jim Gantner and Paul Molitor struck with back-to-back singles (aided by an error on Ron LeFlore) to quickly tie the game at two and knock Burns from the game. Salome Barojas temporarily calmed the flames by getting Robin Yount to ground out to end the seventh, but the fire grew to a roar in the eighth.
Salome faced three batters that frame and couldn’t retire one. Cecil Cooper singled to center, Ted Simmons singled on a shot off of Salome and Gorman Thomas doubled to left to bring home both of them after a Salome balk moved both runners up a base. Kevin Hickey then took his turn on the mound, but the Brewers would add one more with a Charlie Moore sacrifice fly.
This is the problem if you’re the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox or anyone else in the American League. Even when you slow down this record-setting offense, a sub-par game may be good enough to beat you. And the pitching always seems to step up when they need it most.
Today, Bob McClure did just enough, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks through 6 1/3 innings. Newcomer Pete Ladd made his Brewers debut by pitching 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball, and Rollie Fingers finished it off in typical Rollie Fingers-fashion — with a perfect ninth.
No, the Brewers didn’t hit four home runs today. They didn’t hit any. They “only” scored five runs. But they aren’t a one-dimensional team. They will always, it seems, find a way to win.
This was their seventh straight win and the fourth in a row against the White Sox. The Brewers go for the rare five-game sweep tomorrow. The Red Sox kept pace by beating the Royals 8-4 and remain a half game out.
Simmons Leads Brewers to Win
Brewers 5, White Sox 3
Brewers now 51-35 (1st)
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MILWAUKEE — Down 3-2 in the eighth inning with one out and the bases loaded, Ted Simmons strolled to the plate. Until recently, this was a sight Brewers fans dreaded. Simmons was the human rally killer, known most for grounding into poorly timed double plays.
Today, Simmons lined a double that was just fair down the left field line, scoring two to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead. This is the Ted Simmons that should be feared by the opposition.
It wasn’t long ago that Ted Simmons was an over-the-hill catcher on his way off of the Brewers’ team. He was one of three catchers on the roster, didn’t see eye-to-eye with former manager Buck Rodgers, and grossly underperformed when compared to his reputation as an offensive-minded catcher.
Truth is, since coming to the Brewers prior to the 1981 season, Simmons had only been “offensive” in the least flattering way. He hit a meager .216 last season and was hitting .218 on June 12 when he decided to stop talking to the press.
“He talks to me every day,” Harvey Kuenn joked. “I don’t think it makes any difference whatsoever. Maybe he’s just superstitious.”
Since making his silence pact, Simmons’ bat has done the talking for him. Since May 19, he’s hit .305 with 12 homers and 34 RBI. During his past 17 games, Simmons is hitting .380 with six homers and 20 RBI.
Whether it is the source of his success or not, keeping silent isn’t the only change he’s made. He also has taken a new approach at the plate, taking a pronounced crouch that Cecil Cooper can appreciate.
“It looks to me that since he’s started crouching he gets a better look at the strike zone,” Cooper told the Milwaukee Sentinel. “Before he would chase the high fastball or chase the bad breaking ball down low. Now, he’s not doing that.”
Whatever Simmons is doing, keep doing it. Keep crouching. Keep silent. Keep knocking in runs.
Today’s win marked six straight for the Brewers, who maintained a half game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. Boston beat the Royals 7-3.
Game Notes: Pete Ladd arrived from the minors to replace the injured Jamie Easterly. The 26-year-old reliever is known most for his freakish size. Nicknamed “Big Foot,” the imposing Ladd is 6’3″ and 238 pounds, wears a 7 7/8 sized hat and a size 15 shoe. Ladd was 10-2 with a 2.89 ERA and eight saves in the minors, allowing 43 hits and striking out 63 in 56 innings of relief.
Brewers Sweep into First at Break
Brewers 8, Royals 5
Brewers now 48-35 (1st)
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MILWAUKEE — Prior to their game with the Mariners in Seattle on June 2, the Milwaukee Brewers were scuffling in fifth place with a 23-24 record, seven games back in the AL East. That was the day that Buck Rodgers was fired and Harvey Kuenn took over on an “interim” basis.
Today, the Brewers wrapped up the first half of the season with a sweep of the Kansas City Royals, a team that was in first place in the AL West before the series began. In 36 games after Kuenn took over, the Brewers go into the All-Star break as the AL East leaders, up by percentage points over the Boston Red Sox after they fell to the Twins today.
How did the Brewers do it? Much in the way they won today’s game: The long ball. Today, “Harvey’s Wallbangers” launched four more home runs, one each by Paul Molitor (10), Charlie Moore (4), Ted Simmons (14) and Gorman Thomas (22). Molitor has already eclipsed his career high of nine, done twice before.
Before Rodgers was let go, the Brewers had hit 58 home runs in 47 games for 1.2 per game. Since Kuenn took the helm, they’e hit 67 in 36 games, or 1.9 per game. That’s downright silly. The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, on pace to hit 244 home runs, are now being mentioned in the same breath as the 1961 New York Yankees, who set the team record with 241.
It hasn’t just been the home runs, though they’ve helped. The Brewers have also gotten much more consistent pitching, both from the bullpen and the starting rotation. The team that was a game under .500 36 games ago has been 25-11 ever since.
Is it all the manager? Maybe not. But the roster has remained the same. Kuenn’s approach has a relaxing influence on the team. They play looser and have more fun. Do they have more fun because they’re winning or the other way around? Who knows. But it’s working.
Game Notes: Rod Carew announced he would miss the All-Star Game due to tendinitis in his right hand. Cecil Cooper is a back-up, but Carew’s starting replacement has not been named. … The Brewers had 10 hits, the 13th time in the past 16 games that they’ve reached double digits.