100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

June 27, 1979 - Image 16

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
Michigan Daily, 1979-06-27

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Page 16-Wednesday, June 27, 1979-The Michigan Daily
SUMMERS AND MORRIS THE HEROES

Tigers
By JAMIE TURNER
specialtotheDaily
DETROIT-The Tigers took a page
from the Baltimore Orioles book of late
inning rallies last night, scoring three
times with two out in the bottom of the
eighth to down Boston, 6-4.
Champ Summers' two out bases
loaded single drove in Lynn Jones and
Jason Thompson giving Detroit a 5-4
lead, and Aurelio Rodriguez singled in
an insurance run as the Tigers won the
opener of the three game series.
Dennis Eckersley was coasting along
with a 4-3 lead going into the eighth, his
only mistakes being a bases empty
homerun by Summers in the second
inning and a two run shot by Rodriguez
in the seventh.
But after retiring Ron LeFlore to
begin the eighth, Red Sox manager Don
Zimmer opted to replace Eckersley
SCOR ES
Baseball
National League
Philadelphia 5. Chicago3
Pittsburgh 2, New York I
Montreal5st. louis 3
Amerian League
New r tk 1,Toronto 2
Deit 6, Booton, 4
Baltimore 4, Cleveland 3
Texas 2. California 1

rally to beat Bosox, 6-4
the seventh. After Summers singled one off the facing in left.
with ace reliever Bill Campbell. Cam- with one out, Eckersley and Rodriguez A raucuos crowd of 36,247 watched
phll got Rusty Staub in a popout to hooked up in a classic pitcher-hitter Morris collect his fifth win in nine
third. But then the trouble began. duel. Eckerlsey quickly jumped in front decisions and his fourth complete
Steve Kemp-who already had two with'a two strike count and kept hurling game. Campbell (2-3) picked up the loss
hits-walks, stole second and pinch hit- fastballs. The Tiger third baseman in relief as Zimmer played the gambit
ter Lynn Jones moved to third on a wild fouled each one off until finally lining of musical relievers.
pitch while Campbell was in the midst
of walking Thompson.
Enter Dick Drago, who nicked Lance
Parrish's uniform "0" to load theB o
bases and set the tables for Summers.
The Tiger rightfielder fouled off a 7J
series of pitches before his 2-2 single
decided the game.
Boston opened the game's scoring in
the second inning. Jim Rice, Carl NEW YORK (AP)-Bobby Murcer, once hailed as the man who would
yastrzemski and Bob Watson bounced, take Mickey Mantle's place with the New York Yankees, is back again with
looped and nubbed bases loading the world champions five years after they traded him away.
singles with nobody out off Tiger star- Murcer was purchased by the Yankees from the Chicgo Cubs yesterday
ter and complete game winner Jack after clearing major league waivers. In exchange for the veteran outfielder,
Morris. the Yankees sent minor league pitcher Paul Semall and an undisclosed
Morris nearly worked out of a jam, amount of cash to the Cubs.
striking out the next two batters, but a "Financially it was a windfall for us," said Bob Kennedy, executive vice
wild pitch and a Gary Allenson broken president of the Cubs. "The Yankees will assume his entire salary."
bat single gave Boston a queasy 3-0 Murcer is in the third year of a 5-year, $1.6 million contract which pays
lead, him $320,000 annually.
The middle innings showcased a Murcer has longed expressed the desire to return to the Yankees where
homerun derby. Summers opened he began his major league career as a shortstop in 1966. He was shocked
Detroit's scoring with a solo shot deep when the Yankees, who had assured him he wouldn't be traded, dealt him to
in the rightfield upper deck to bring San Francisco Oct. 22, 1974 in a deal which brought Bobby Bonds to New
Detroit to within two. But,. Yastrzem- York.
ski poled one higher and deeper to the This spring, Murcer was named captain of the Cubsand in 58 games this
same location in the sixth, and the Red season he batted .258 with seven home runs and 22 runs batted in. For his
Sox had an imposing 4-1 lead. career, he has a .279 batting average with 217 homers and 898 runs batted in.
The Tigers climbed to within one in Semall was 6-3 in 13 starts at Columbus of the International League.
High low

Surprising Astros sailing
By The Associated Press ERA while Williams is 2-3 with a 2.53
HOUSTON - "Dad, have the Astros ERA and both victories by shutouts.
ever been in first place before?" a child Sambito yielded a grand slam home run
asked his father as they watched a to St. Louis' Roger Freed on May 1 and
game. has since appeared in 17 games and pit-
"Sure son," the father replied ched 28% innings without allowing an
patronizingly, "but never this late in earned run.
the season." Knuckleball pitcher Joe Niekro
Well, look again, Dad. became the first hurler in the major
leagues to win 11 games this season
EVEN THE most confirmed cynic is during a string that included a team
finding it difficult to ignore the sur- record nine victories in a row,
prising Astros, who still are perched The Astros have not been shelling op-
atop the standings in the final days of posing pitchers. They are getting fewer
June. hits than a year ago and rank near the
They've never been in first place this bottom of the National League in team
late in the season either and the hitting. But the hits have been timely,
baseball experts who predicted a and Dennis Walling has been the most
typical second-division finish for the punctual of all. He started this week
Astros this season are putting this with 10 pinch hits in 18 tries for the
strange phenomenon up for laboratory season.
analysis. "I'm elated about this whole team,"
"Any discussion of our success has to said Walling, who ended lasdt week hit-
start with the pitching staff," Astros ting .536 asa pinch hitter this season.
Manager Bill Virdon said. "We've had
some injuries but we've been able to T
overcome them and still get the job acquisitions in obtaining shortstop
done. ri enlsad ace lnAh
Ken Forsch got the pitching staff off Craig Reynolds and catcher Alan Ash-
to a rolling start with a no-hitter in the by and both have been factors in
secod gae ofthe easo. Fosch Houston's rise,
second game of the season. Forsch Another new face is right fielder Jeff
later became one of four Astro pitchers Leonard, who was good enough to allow .
to spend time on the 21-day disabled list Virdon to move Cedeno from center
along with starters Vern Ruble and field to first base and send Bob Watson
Frank Ricelli and reliever Tom Dixon. to the trading block.
Despite their success, Virdon and the
RANDY NIEMANN and Rick Astros have remained cautious.
Williams were summoned from the Virdon says he'll get excited if the
minor leagues to fill the injury gaps and Astros still are leading the league in
air-tight relief by Joe Sambito has kept September.
the Astros aloft despite lack of hitting. And the Astros have never been in
Niemann has a 2-0 record and 2.18 first place in September either.

. Ted's out,
By The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS - Ted Simmons said he
knew it wasn't just another bad bruise
when he awoke during the night to find
himself ina pool of sweat.
That, recalled the St. Louis Cardinals
catcher, was almost as convincing as
later X-rays which revealed a broken
wrist bone that will sideline him four to
six weeks.
SIMMONS, THE wheelhorse of the
St. Louis offense, suffered the injury at
the base of his glove hand in the fifth in-
ning of a game Sunday against the New
York Mets.
He remained in the game three more
innings, but the Cards lost. They lost
also in the completion of a suspended
game against the Montreal Expos on
Monday night and bowed again in the
regular contest. Whether they can
recover in Simmons' absence is doub-
tful.
"You build your lineup around
cleanup," said third baseman Ken
Reitz in an appraisal of what the loss of
the No. 4 St. Louis hitter would mean.
"THE WAY Keith Hernandez was
hitting third and George Hendrick was
hitting fifth, we were scoring some
runs," said Reitz. "It's definitely not
good, but you can't cry over it. Teddy
would probably be the first to tell you
we've got to forget it."
With Simmons in the lineup, St. Louis
was hitting a lusty .286 - and scoring
runs in sufficient amounts to offset
glaring deficiencies in pitching.
A revamped batting order will have
Hendrick hitting fourth, with Tony
Scott moving up to fifth and Reitz sixth.

Cards failing
But below them are either Steve
Swisher or young Terry Kennedy as
catcher followed by the second
baseman, either Mike Tyson or Ken
Oberkfell.
GARY CARTER, the hard-hitting
catcher of the Expos, viewed the
outlook for the Cardinals without Sim-
mons and was not optimistic.
"He was the big cog in their wheel,"
said Carter. "His being out will put ex-
tra pressure on others. Simba was a big
part of that ballclub, not only handling
the pitchers but with his bat."
The pity is, of course, that the Car-
dinals were constructed around Sim-
mons' leadership during what was ad-
ding up to his finest season. He had 18
home runs and 52 RBI. His batting
average was .321.
ON JUNE 10, with Simmons hitting a
homer, the Cards moved briefly atop
National League East standings. Later
they dropped eight of 10 games but
were still clinging to second place when
he was hurt.
Manager Ken Boyer called the loss of
Simmons "just another trial of life"
and General Manager John Claiborne
labeled it "history." But, Claiborne
said significantly, "He was headed for
Most Valuable Player. At least he'd
have gotten my vote."
Simmons, his wrist in a cast, was
outwardly taking the stroke of misfor-
tune better than those around him.
"I just need a little rest, that's all,"
he said lightly. "There's nothing in the
world I can do about it. I just have to
take the bad with the good. Besides, I'll
be back."

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan