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06-29-2006, 07:48 PM
June 29, 1977
Busch Stadium
St. Louis, MO
It was a nice summer day in St. Louis, with afternoon highs in the mid-80s before cooling off to the upper 70s by game time that evening. Though the temps weren’t as hot as expected, the Cardinals were heating up.
Coming into the game with a 40-32 record, manager Vern Rapp’s club had won five of their last six, including three straight over the visiting Pirates. Included in that streak was a doubleheader sweep the day before over Pittsburgh by 6-1 and 13-3 scores. The recent little push had the Cards in a tie with the Phils for second in NL East, 8½-games behind the Cubs.
St. Louis was a team built around speed and defense. Lou Brock, Garry Templeton and Jerry Mumphrey were the legs on the club, with Keith Hernandez and Ken Reitz providing some pop in the order as well as defense on the infield corners.
Taking the mound that night for Rapp and the home team would be Eric Rasmussen. After spending the previous two seasons bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen for the Cards, the 25-yr-old right-hander out of Racine, Wisconsin, was doing nothing but starting in the 1977 season. Coming off a complete game, 5-hit win over Philadelphia five days earlier, this would be his 16th start of the season as he brought a 6-8 record and a 3.28 ERA into the contest.
Pittsburgh, at 38-33, was fourth in NL East and 10 back of the leaders. After starting the season oh-&-three, manager Chuck Tanner’s club went on a tear in April and early May and sat in the driver’s seat of the division before dropping back. A 7-game skid in mid-June was followed by a 6-game win streak just in front of the 4-game losing streak they found themselves in at the moment. The Pirates had speed to burn throughout their lineup with Omar Moreno, Frank Taveras, Phil Garner and Rennie Stennett. They also had some power in the form of Dave Parker, Al Oliver and Bill Robinson. With two of the game’s best young left-handers in the rotation, John Candelaria and Jerry Reuss, plus Rich Gossage in the bullpen, this club was supposed to compete for the NL East flag.
At the moment, they just weren’t getting it done. Tanner would send right-hander Bruce Kison to the hill in hopes of stopping the current run of losses. Making his 14th start of the campaign, Kison was 5-3 with a 4.34 ERA entering this game. He, too, was coming off a complete game win four days prior over the Expos.
The Bucs would give Kison an early lead in this one when Stennett led off the top of the first with a single, stole second, and came home two outs later on Robinson’s home run. Oliver walked before Willie Stargell flew out to deep center to end the inning.
Kison had to deal with a 2-out triple in the bottom of the frame by Tony Scott, but escaped unscathed when Hernandez grounded to Stennett at second to end the inning.
In the top of the second, it was Taveras’ turn to flash his speed. His one out single turned into a triple when he stole second and third. Stennett’s second hit of the game brought Taveras home to up Pittsburgh’s lead to three-zip.
The Pirates picked up their fourth stolen base of the game in the third when Robinson swiped second after Rasmussen hit him with a pitch to open the inning. But Robinson was left at the bag when Oliver, Stargell and catcher Ed Ott each flew out.
Pittsburgh would tack on a couple more in the fifth off Rasmussen and finally chase the Cardinals righty from the hill. After flying out twice to deep center up to then, Stargell got into one and sent it over the wall in right with two outs and Robinson aboard. Butch Metzger would come in for Rasmussen and get St. Louis out of the inning and trailing 5-0.
Kison ran into 2-out trouble in the bottom of the inning, giving up a single to Don Kessinger and a walk to pinch-hitter Roger Freed. Brock plated Kessinger with a single and the crowd of 15,000+ wanted more. But Templeton grounded out to end the inning, and the score was as close as it was going to get the rest of the game.
Still 5-1 after seven, Tanner would pull Kison and bring in his gun from the bullpen. Gossage worked a perfect eighth and the Pirates would put the game out of reach in the ninth. Garner led off with a bleacher bomb to ignite the 4-run frame against St. Louis reliever Al Hrabosky, Rapp’s fourth pitcher of the contest. Ensuing doubles by Parker, Oliver and Taveras provided the rest of the offense in this one.
Gossage got into a little jam in the ninth, giving up a 1-out single to Mumphrey and a 2-out walk to Kessinger. But he got pinch-hitter Ted Simmons to ground out to Garner at third and end the game, a 9-1 win for the Bucs.
Busch Stadium
St. Louis, MO
It was a nice summer day in St. Louis, with afternoon highs in the mid-80s before cooling off to the upper 70s by game time that evening. Though the temps weren’t as hot as expected, the Cardinals were heating up.
Coming into the game with a 40-32 record, manager Vern Rapp’s club had won five of their last six, including three straight over the visiting Pirates. Included in that streak was a doubleheader sweep the day before over Pittsburgh by 6-1 and 13-3 scores. The recent little push had the Cards in a tie with the Phils for second in NL East, 8½-games behind the Cubs.
St. Louis was a team built around speed and defense. Lou Brock, Garry Templeton and Jerry Mumphrey were the legs on the club, with Keith Hernandez and Ken Reitz providing some pop in the order as well as defense on the infield corners.
Taking the mound that night for Rapp and the home team would be Eric Rasmussen. After spending the previous two seasons bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen for the Cards, the 25-yr-old right-hander out of Racine, Wisconsin, was doing nothing but starting in the 1977 season. Coming off a complete game, 5-hit win over Philadelphia five days earlier, this would be his 16th start of the season as he brought a 6-8 record and a 3.28 ERA into the contest.
Pittsburgh, at 38-33, was fourth in NL East and 10 back of the leaders. After starting the season oh-&-three, manager Chuck Tanner’s club went on a tear in April and early May and sat in the driver’s seat of the division before dropping back. A 7-game skid in mid-June was followed by a 6-game win streak just in front of the 4-game losing streak they found themselves in at the moment. The Pirates had speed to burn throughout their lineup with Omar Moreno, Frank Taveras, Phil Garner and Rennie Stennett. They also had some power in the form of Dave Parker, Al Oliver and Bill Robinson. With two of the game’s best young left-handers in the rotation, John Candelaria and Jerry Reuss, plus Rich Gossage in the bullpen, this club was supposed to compete for the NL East flag.
At the moment, they just weren’t getting it done. Tanner would send right-hander Bruce Kison to the hill in hopes of stopping the current run of losses. Making his 14th start of the campaign, Kison was 5-3 with a 4.34 ERA entering this game. He, too, was coming off a complete game win four days prior over the Expos.
The Bucs would give Kison an early lead in this one when Stennett led off the top of the first with a single, stole second, and came home two outs later on Robinson’s home run. Oliver walked before Willie Stargell flew out to deep center to end the inning.
Kison had to deal with a 2-out triple in the bottom of the frame by Tony Scott, but escaped unscathed when Hernandez grounded to Stennett at second to end the inning.
In the top of the second, it was Taveras’ turn to flash his speed. His one out single turned into a triple when he stole second and third. Stennett’s second hit of the game brought Taveras home to up Pittsburgh’s lead to three-zip.
The Pirates picked up their fourth stolen base of the game in the third when Robinson swiped second after Rasmussen hit him with a pitch to open the inning. But Robinson was left at the bag when Oliver, Stargell and catcher Ed Ott each flew out.
Pittsburgh would tack on a couple more in the fifth off Rasmussen and finally chase the Cardinals righty from the hill. After flying out twice to deep center up to then, Stargell got into one and sent it over the wall in right with two outs and Robinson aboard. Butch Metzger would come in for Rasmussen and get St. Louis out of the inning and trailing 5-0.
Kison ran into 2-out trouble in the bottom of the inning, giving up a single to Don Kessinger and a walk to pinch-hitter Roger Freed. Brock plated Kessinger with a single and the crowd of 15,000+ wanted more. But Templeton grounded out to end the inning, and the score was as close as it was going to get the rest of the game.
Still 5-1 after seven, Tanner would pull Kison and bring in his gun from the bullpen. Gossage worked a perfect eighth and the Pirates would put the game out of reach in the ninth. Garner led off with a bleacher bomb to ignite the 4-run frame against St. Louis reliever Al Hrabosky, Rapp’s fourth pitcher of the contest. Ensuing doubles by Parker, Oliver and Taveras provided the rest of the offense in this one.
Gossage got into a little jam in the ninth, giving up a 1-out single to Mumphrey and a 2-out walk to Kessinger. But he got pinch-hitter Ted Simmons to ground out to Garner at third and end the game, a 9-1 win for the Bucs.