Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Game of the Day (9/2/84)

Mets 3, Padres 2 (12). San Diego's Tim Lollar wasn't a particularly impressive pitcher in 1984, but he was at least game enough to put his innings in. New York's Walt Terrell was better, if only slightly so. Also, Terrell was starting his fifth Game of the Day in the 1984 season.

Terrell allowed singles to Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey in the top of the first, but stranded the runners at the corners. Kelvin Chapman singled with one out in the bottom of the inning, and Keith Hernandez followed with a two-run homer to open the scoring. But San Diego countered quickly in the second, starting with a Carmelo Martinez homer. Two outs later, Lollar singled, took second on a wild pitch, and scored the tying run when Alan Wiggins reached on a Terrell error.

And then the scoring screeched to a halt. Darryl Strawberry led off the bottom of the second with a single and was erased on a double play, and the same happened to Garvey in the third. Tim Flannery and Lollar both singled in the top of the fourth and were left at the corners; the bottom of the inning brought singles from George Foster and Hubie Brooks, but Lollar recovered to strand them both. Terrell was perfect in the fifth and sixth; Lollar matched him in the first of those innings, then worked around a Hernandez walk in the second.

Garry Templeton led off the seventh with a single and advanced on each of a pair of groundouts before being stranded at third. Lollar retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the inning, and San Diego put up a serious rally in the eighth. Garvey led off with a single, Kevin McReynolds hit into a force, and Terry Kennedy singled McReynolds to third, taking second on a Strawberry throwing error. Martinez was intentionally walked to load the bases, but Flannery grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Goose Gossage relieved in the bottom of the eighth and was greeted by a walk from pinch hitter Danny Heep. Pinch runner Jose Oquendo stole second, but Gossage then struck out the next two hitters, intentionally walked Hernandez, and retired Foster to end the inning. Doug Sisk allowed singles to Templeton and Gossage in the ninth, and intentionally walked Gwynn to load the bases with one out; Garvey then hit into a double play to end the threat. Brooks led off the bottom of the inning with a single and was caught stealing, but the Mets then loaded the bases on singles by Ray Knight and Mike Fitzgerald and a walk to Wally Backman before Mookie Wilson flied out to leave all three men on and send the game to extras.

Sisk and Gossage exchanged perfect tenths. Brent Gaff retired the Padres in order in the eleventh, while Gossage worked around a Knight single; Gaff threw a 1-2-3 twelfth as well. With one out in the bottom of the twelfth, Wilson walked and stole second. After the second out, Gossage intentionally walked Hernandez, and Foster then singled to bring Wilson home with the winning run.

In the top of the eighth, the Padres loaded the bases with one out, and failed to score. In the top of the ninth, they loaded the bases with one out, and failed to score. Also, they left their best reliever on the mound for five innings, despite not having used another member of their bullpen; he even hit for himself twice.

Really, given those stipulations, the outcome was exactly what you'd expect.

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