The NL No-Free Agency Assn

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The Chicago Cubs battered the Braves with a 16-hit attack and an 11-2 thumping in game three. Bill Buckner had four hits and three RBI. Larry Biitner also collected four hits. Dennis Lamp went the distance, allowing 8 hits, striking out 2 and walking none. Atlanta starter Larry McWilliams took the loss, lasting only 4 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 4 runs. The Atlanta bullpen was shelled for 8 hits in 5 innings, allowing 7 runs, while walking six.

Game four will see a battle between pitchers who struggled most of the season. For the Cubs, it's Randy Martz (2-6, 11.29). The Braves send Tony Brizzolara (2-10, 5.48) to the mound.

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The Atlanta Braves are within one win of the title following a 5-2 victory in game four. Tony Brizzolara shut out the Cubs through six innings. He allowed runs in the seventh and ninth. Gene Garber recorded the final out and earned the save.

The Braves scored all five of their runs in the second inning off Cub starter and losing pitcher Randy Martz. Rafael Ramirez opened the scoring with an RBI single. Brizzolara drove in a run with a groundout. Bob Horner delivered a bases-loaded single, driving in two, then Rowland Office drew a bases-loaded walk, driving in the fifth run. Cub relievers held the Braves scoreless for the next six innings, to no avail.

Game one starters Phil Niekro and Mike Krukow hook up again in game five.

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The Chicago Cubs, one out from elimination, stayed alive with a 5-4 victory in 13 innings. Trailing 4-3 entering the ninth inning, Chicago rallied with back-to-back one-out pinch-hit singles by Barry Foote and Scot Thompson. Foote advanced to third on a fly ball. He then scored on Cliff Johnson's single off Braves' closer Gene Garber.

The game stayed 4-4 until the top of the 13th, when the Cubs took the lead on an RBI single from Larry Biitner. His single drove in Jerry Martin with the eventual game-winner. Cub reliever Willie Hernandez pitched four hitless innings and picked up the win. Bruce Sutter pitched a perfect 13th inning and collected the save. Brave reliever Rick Camp took the loss.

The series shifts back to Chicago, where game two starters Boggs and McGlothen take the mound.

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The Atlanta Braves have won their second title with an exciting 4-3 victory in game six. The Cubs led 2-0 after four innings on RBI groundouts by Mike Tyson and Larry Biitner. The Braves erupted for four runs in the sixth inning on RBI singles from Jeff Burroughs and Chris Chambliss. Also in the sixth, the Braves tallied runs on RBI groundouts from Rowland Office and Rafael Ramirez. The Cubs' Mike Vail made it a one-run game with his solo homer in the sixth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Brave closer Gene Garber retired the first two batters. Pinch-hitter Barry Foote reached on a Ramirez error. Pinch-hitter Scot Thompson came through again with a single. With the tying and winning runs on base, Ivan Dejesus worked Garber to a full count. Garber won the battle, however, getting Dejesus to ground out to second and the Braves were suprising series winners. Atlanta was only 81-81 during the regular season, tying for the division title with San Diego and getting a controversial tie-breaker nod, despite going only 3-15 against the Padres.

As expected, Mike Schmidt captured his second straight MVP award. Schmidt batted .266, blasted 45 home runs, and drove in 114. Schmidt's Phillie teammate Steve Carlton took home the Cy Young Award. Carlton was 17-7 with a 2.53 ERA, while striking out a league-high 217 batters.

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Through the All-Star break of 1981. There is no strike this season. The teams will be playing a full 162-game schedule.

Houston's normally-light-hitting shortstop, Craig Reynolds, leads the league in batting with .317. The Giants' Gary Matthews is right behind at .316. Atlanta's Bob Horner leads in both HR and RBI with 20/54. The Mets' Ellis Valentine has 19/53. LA's Ron Cey and Pittsburgh's Bill Robinson both have 53 RBI.

San Diego's Chris Welsh leads all hurlers with a 1.54 ERA (6-3). The Mets's Pete Falcone is close behind at 1.60 (5-3), along with San Diego's Steve Mura at 1.63 (10-2). Relievers dominate the win totals so far. Houston's Bert Roberge and Montreal's John D'Acquisto are both 11-6. Houston's Dave Smith is 10-1. San Diego's Mura is the only starter in the group near the top. Steve Carlton leads the NL with an even 100 strikeouts. LA rookie Fernando Valenzuela has 93 and D'Acquisto has 91 out of the bullpen.

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Montreal and Houston held off challengers to make the postseason. Both teams are seeking their second title. Houston won in 1969 and Montreal won in 1974.

Atlanta's Bob Horner won the batting title at .307. Chicago's Leon Durham was second at .302. Horner threatened to win a triple crown, also leading the league in HRs with 34, two better than Philly's Mike Schmidt. On September 1, Horner led in batting and homers, and was tied with Schmidt in RBIs with 80. Schmidt spoiled Horner's triple crown bid, topping the league with 100 RBIs to Horner's 96.

Pittsburgh's Don Robinson led the NL in ERA this season with a 1.54 (12-4). Montreal's Bill Gullickson had an excellent 1.57 (14-6), and Robinson's teammate Rick Rhoden also excelled with 1.84 (13-8)

Relief pitchers dominated the win totals. Montreal's John D'Acquisto finished 22-9 (4.04). Houston's Bert Roberge was 17-9 (4.01), while the Mets' Neil Allen was 16-10 (3.51), and Houston's Dave Smith finished 16-2 (2.52). I probably created these stats by some changes I made to the GM/Manager tendencies. Before the season, all teams were set to have "Average" hook. I changed all teams to "Very Patient" before the first game was played. I changed all teams to "Extremely Patient" hook at about the halfway mark of the season. It appears that my changes gave relievers EVEN MORE appearances. The assn. had a total of 44 complete games, about average from what it's had lately.

On to the postseason. Houston @ Montreal. Houston sends Bob Knepper (13-9, 3.10) to the mound against Montreal's Gullickson (14-6, 1-57).

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The Houston Astros took the series opener, with a 6-2 win in Montreal. Houston's Alan Ashby went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Craig Reynolds, Jose Cruz and Dickie Thon added two hits apiece. Bob Knepper went six innings, allowing only one run on six hits, striking out three and walking none.

In game two, Houston sends Joe Niekro (5-11, 2.17) to the mound against Montreal's Scott Sanderson (4-10, 3.96). Both Niekro and Sanderson have gone winless since August 24th. Niekro has lost his last seven decisions. Sanderson has collected "no decisions" in his last six starts.

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The teams head south with Houston owning a 2-0 lead following a 4-1 victory in game two. The Houston bullpen shut down the Expos, hurling 4 1/3 scoreless innings. The Astros opened the scoring in the first on Cesar Cedeno's RBI triple. Alan Ashby followed with a single and Houston led 2-0. Jose Cruz drove in a run with a single in the third, increasing the Houston lead to 3-0. Houston starter Joe Niekro ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth, as Gary Carter delivered an RBI double. Frank LaCorte took over on the mound and stymied the rally. Houtson, leading 3-1, tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on Denny Walling's pinch-hit RBI single. Joe Sambito pitched a perfect ninth for the save. LaCorte was credited with the win.

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Ernie Banks would've loved this one, as the Montreal Expos won game three in 17 innings, 5-0. After 16 scoreless innings, Montreal broke things open in the 17th. Jerry White knocked an RBI single, relief pitcher and winner Grant Jackson drove in a run with a double, Tim Raines and Warren Cromartie added RBI singles, and Gary Carter drove in the final run with an RBI groundout, all off of Houston reliever Pete Ladd, who worked the final 5 1/3 innings.

Starters Charlie Lea and Gordon Pladson were excellent. Lea allowed only three hits in eight innings, while Pladson surrendered just two hits in his 7 2/3 innings.

In game four, Montreal sends David Palmer (8-6, 2.90) to the mound. Houston counters with Vern Ruhle (3-13, 3.91). Ruhle's last win came way back on June 14th.

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Following a 17-inning marathon in game three, the teams limped through another extra-inning affair. Game four goes to Houston, 6-5 in 15 innings.

Montreal opened the scoring in the first. Tim Raines led off with a triple and scored on Warren Cromartie's sac-fly. Montreal looked to be in control when they added three more runs in the sixth on a Tim Wallach RBI single and a two-run single by Chris Speier.

Houston got back into the game in the bottom of the seventh. Dickie Thon drove in a run with a double. Pinch-hitter Denny Walling then drove in two more with a single, cutting the Montreal lead to 4-3.

In the bottom of the ninth, Montreal closer Jeff Reardon, the only rested member of the bullpen, blew the save. He allowed singles to Alan Ashby and Art Howe, before inducing Gary Woods to ground into a double play. Phil Garner came up with two outs and Ashby on third with the tying run. Garner laced a triple into the right field corner to tie the score.

Both teams failed to score in the 10th through 14th innings. Montreal's Tony Perez led off the top of the 15th with a solo homer off Houston's Joe Niekro. Houston came back in the bottom of the 15th, though. Phil Garner led off with a single off Reardon (still pitching). Pinch-hitter Danny Heep popped out. Terry Puhl singled to right, advancing Garner to third with the tying run. Craig Reynolds walked, loading the bases. Garner scored the tying run on a Reardon wild pitch. With the infield and outfield playing in, Jose Cruz lifted a short fly ball to right. Terry Puhl tagged and beat Tim Wallach's throw to the plate.

Houston is now up 3 games to 1 in the series. Game one starters Bill Gullickson and Bob Knepper take the mound in game five.

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The Montreal Expos stayed alive with a 2-0 shutout of Houston in game five. Bill Gullickson and two relievers combined to limit the Astros to only six hits, striking out five and walking none.

Tim Wallach drew a bases-loaded walk in the third inning. Gullickson plated the other run with his fourth inning groundout. Bob Knepper took the loss.

Game two starters Joe Niekro and Scott Sanderson take the mound as the series shifts back to Montreal for game six.

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There will be a game seven, as the Montreal Expos defeated the Houston Astros 6-2. Montreal exploded in the bottom of the third, as Gary Carter drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. Andre Dawson followed with a three-run homer to make the score 5-0. Montreal added a run in the sixth on a Bill Almon RBI double. Houston managed single runs in the eighth and ninth.

Game three starters Gordon Pladson and Charlie Lea take the hill in the decisive seventh game.

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The Montreal Expos came from down 3 games to 1 to tie the series at three games apiece, then came back from a 5-1 deficit, incredibly scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the series.

Tim Raines' infield chopper scored Jerry White with the winning run and the Expos celebrated their second title.

Houston's Terry Puhl blasted a pair of two-run homers in a losing effort.

Astro starting pitcher Gordon Pladson held the Expos hitless for 5 2/3 innings, before allowing three straight singles and a run. He gave way to Dave Smith, who held Montreal off the board through the seventh inning. Astro reliever Frank LaCorte pitched a scoreless eighth, then took to the mound in the ninth with a 6-1 lead and the series win only three outs away.

LaCorte walked the first two men he faced in the ninth, Gary Carter and Andre Dawson. Rookie Billy Smith entered the game and promptly allowed a Tim Wallach single to load the bases. Up came Larry Parrish, who blasted Smith's fourth pitch over the center field wall for a grand slam to tie the game at 5-5. Unbelievably, the Astro manager stuck with Smith on the mound. Pinch-hitter Jerry White reached on an infield single, Mike Phillips drew a walk, and still no Expo had been retired in the ninth. Out of position players, Montreal allowed reliever David Palmer to hit for himself. Palmer failed to lay down the bunt, but played a crucial role by hitting a deep fly ball to center field. White tagged on the play and went to third, putting runners on the corners with one out. This set the stage for Raines' game-winning infield grounder. Houston closer Joe Sambito must have been suffering from some unknown ailment. Joe made only one appearance in the series, retiring the side in the ninth inning of game two for the save. It was shocking that Sambito was not called upon in the ninth inning of game seven.

Bob Horner captured regular season MVP honors. The Braves' slugging third baseman led the league in hitting at .307 and in homers with 34. He also drove in 96 runs, second to two-time MVP Mike Schmidt.

Montreal's Bill Gullickson took home Cy Young honors. "Gully" went 14-6 with a 1.57 ERA on the season.

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Through the All-Star Break of 1982 and the Cardinals are trying to repeat their real-life success. They're fighting with the Expos in the East, while LA and Atlanta are battling (along with three other squads) in the West.

Montreal's Al Oliver leads all hitters at .336, ahead of LA's Dusty Baker's .332. San Diego's Dave Winfield leads in both homers and RBI with 25/75. Pittsburgh's Jason Thompson sits second in both categories at 19/71.

On the mound, San Diego's Eric Show is the ERA leader at 1.66 (5-1). Montreal's Charlie Lea is at 1.88 (8-1). Relievers occupy the top three spots in victories. Houston's Randy Moffitt is 12-3 (2.96). The Mets' Tom Dixon sits at 10-2 (2.19), and Montreal's John D'Acquisto is 10-6 (2.93). D'Acquisto also leads the league in K's with 104. Pittsburgh's Don Robinson has an even 100.

St. Louis' Bob Forsch pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta on May 15th. Forsch struck out two and walked five in the Cards' 4-0 win in Atlanta. Ironically, his brother Ken pitched a no-hitter in real life against the Braves in 1979. Irony II: The starting and losing pitcher in Bob's PS no-hitter for the Braves? John Montefusco. "The Count" also no-hit the Braves in real life, back in 1976. Almost eerie.

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1982 regular season complete. In the East, St. Louis led most of the way. Montreal got hot in late August/early September. Those two teams entered the final weekend tied. St. Louis took the first two from the pitiful Cubs, but lost on the final day. Montreal lost their Friday night game at Philly, but won the next two. They ended up tying for the top spot. Montreal took the season series with St. Louis 10-8.

Los Angeles pulled away in the West after the All-Star Break and was never challenged.

San Diego rookie Tony Gwynn took the batting title at .331. LA's Dusty Baker hit .322. The Padres swept the batting lists as Dave Winfield led in HR and RBI with 41/125. San Fran's Jack Clark hit 33 HR and Pittsburgh's Jason Thompson had 119 RBI.

The Pirates' John Candelaria led in ERA at 1.81 (12-8). Houston reliever Randy Moffitt was second at 2.03 (19-4). Montreal reliever John D'Acquisto went 24-9 (2.97). Moffitt's 19 wins was second. D'Acquisto also led in Ks with 177. Pittsburgh's Don Robinson had 174. Good news for realists (of which I am one): Both D'Acquisto and Moffitt retire this off-season. I guess my experiment changing every team's hook to "Very Patient" has been a complete failure. It's back to "Patient" for next season.

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A quick look at Montreal's 1982 pitching results confirms an ongoing problem with reliever appearances. This association is using real players on their actual teams (except for free agents). Manager tendency for hook is set to "Extremely Patient". The starting pitcher suffering the most extreme skewing of stats is Steve Rogers. He made 35 starts, as he did in real life, but only managed 131 innings (compared to 277 in real life). Because AI yanks him early and often, his final record of 3-4 pales in comparison to his real-life total of 19-8.

There are several relievers ready, willing, and apparently able to pick up the slack as far as decisions are concerned.

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1982 Series underway. Montreal sends Bill Gullickson (9-6, 2.88) to the mound against LA's Fernando Valenzuela. This game was exciting and, at the same time, frustrating.

The Dodgers broke out the lumber in a 6-2 win over the Expos. Rick Monday opened the scoring for LA in the bottom of the second with a solo HR. Montreal struck back quickly with two in their third on a Gary Carter RBI double and an Andre Dawson RBI groundout.

Trailing 2-1, the Dodgers' AI manager pulled starting pitcher Valenzuela in the top of the fifth. Fernando's line: 4 1/3 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 5K. He had thrown 77 pitches.

Not to be outdone, the Expo AI manager pulled starter Gullickson in the bottom of the sixth. The baseball gods grinned, as super-middle-reliever and probable Cy Young Award winner John D'Acquisto was summoned from the Montreal bullpen. D'Acquisto came into the game with runners on second and third and one out. Steve Garvey immediately smashed a three-run homer to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. Pedro Guerrero added a two-run shot in the seventh for LA.

Burt Hooton picked up the win in relief for LA. According to the box score, D'Acquisto was charged with the loss. [&:] This was odd, since starting pitcher Gullickson was charged with 3 runs. The only run allowed by D'Acquisto was the Garvey HR, so Gullickson should have been given the loss.

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The Montreal Expos, in possibly the most exciting postseason game in my PS history, defeated the LA Dodgers 12-11 in twelve innings.

In the top of the fifth, Montreal broke a 1-1 tie with a Chris Speier solo HR and a Gary Carter two-run double. The Expos took their 4-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth. In the LA half of the sixth, Reggie Smith swatted a two-run homer to make the score 4-3. Montreal AI went to the pen and summoned, again, John D'Acquisto. Once again, the first batter D'Acquisto faced homered. Rick Monday's solo blast tied the score at 4-4, but LA was far from finished. A Tim Raines error gave the Dodgers a brief 5-4 lead, brief only because Lee Lacy smacked a two-run double to increase the LA lead to 7-4. Reggie Smith later crushed his second homer of the inning, this one a three-run shot, as LA took an apparent comfortable 10-4 lead after six. The score remained 10-4 after seven innings, before the Dodger bullpen imploded.

In the eighth, Jerry White plated two with a pinch-hit single. Later in the eighth, Tim Wallach's bases-loaded double also scored two and the LA lead was 10-8. The Dodgers scored plated an insurance run in their eighth, as Steve Yeager drove in a run with a pinch-hit ground out.

Steve Howe came on to close the game out for LA, but it was not to be. In the ninth, Montreal scored three times. Tony Perez' RBI triple made it 11-9. Ron LeFlore added a pinch-hit single, driving in Perez and making the score 11-10. Tim Raines, whose error in the sixth had opened the scoring floodgates for the Dodgers, atoned with an RBI triple, driving in LeFlore with the tying run.

The game stayed tied at 11-11 into the top of the twelfth inning. Tim Raines led off the inning by slicing a triple down the left field line. Raines then scored the eventual game-winner on Al Oliver's ground out. In the bottom of the 12th, Expo closer Jeff Rearson came on to preserve the win. Ken Landreaux flied out to start the inning. Reardon then walked Dusty Baker. After a Ron Roenicke fly out, Baker stole second. This brought Reggie Smith to the plate. Reardon jammed Smith and Reggie flied out to shallow right field to end the game. Dave Tomlin picked up the win and Dave Stewart was charged with the loss.

What a ballgame! The baseball gods were fooling around again, with D'Acquisto AGAIN surrendering a homer to the first batter he faced. He was on the hook for the loss before his teammates rallied in the ninth. Game Two had the feel of a College World Series game! The two teams gather up their passports and head to Canada for Game Three. The Dodgers send Don Sutton (10-5, 2.98) to the mound against the Expos' Randy Lerch (5-0, 1.42). Lerch was obtained in mid-August from the American League. He made 10 starts down the stretch for Montreal.

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Don Sutton, Burt Hooton, and Alejandro Pena combined to shut out the Expos on seven hits as the Dodgers tood game three 4-0. LA scored twice in the first on RBI singles from Pedro Guerrero and Steve Sax. Bill Russell added an RBI single in the fifth, then closed out the scoring in the top of the ninth on a Steve Yeager pinch-hit RBI single. In the continuing John D'Acquisto saga, the Montreal reliever fared much better this time out. He pitched 2 2/3 perfect innings, striking out three.

The Dodgers will send Bob Welch (11-7, 3.02) to the mound in game four. Montreal counters with David Palmer (4-7, 3.95).

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The Montreal Expos won another come-from-behind battle and took game four, 5-4. For LA, Rick Monday broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth with his 3-run HR. Montreal's Warren Cromartie belted a pinch-homer in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 4-2. In the Montreal eighth, LA reliever Joe Beckwith was rocked for three runs, as Tony Perez plated one and pinch-hitter Jerry White drove in two more. Jeff Reardon pitched the nintn for Montreal and earned the save.

Some apparent operator error on mothanp's part allowed Bill Gullickson to get the start in game four for the 'Spos. I normally change all starters' to "never skip" in the postseason. I must have missed Palmer, as he still showed "skip rarely". I have adjusted things and Palmer will start in game five against LA's Fernando Valenzuela.