1988 Bucs take 3 of 4 from 1957 Redbirds

The 1988 Pittsburgh Pirates got to .500 with good pitching and timely hitting to take three straight games after the Cardinals won the opener of a four-game home-and-home series.

The series highlight for St. Louis came in the bottom of the first inning of the first game when they put together four hits to plate three runs off Pirate starter Bob Walk. Don Blasingame and Joe Cunningham started the game with singles, followed by Stan Musial double plating Blazer. Wally Moon flew out to deep left, getting Cunningham home. After a strike out of Del Ennis, Ken Boyer singled home Musial.

‘Toothpick’ Sam Jones pitched 8 shutout innings before being touched for a run in the ninth, completing the game for his second win of the season. Big Sam struck out 8 and walked none in a dominating performance.

Doug Drabek and Jeff Robinson combined on a two-hitter in game two, as the Pirates evened the series with a 4-1 win. The Bucs returned the favor on the Cardinals in this one, scoring three of their own in the first. Cardinal starter Lindy McDaniel was forced to exit the game after facing only two batters, both of whom had reached as Mike Lavalliere doubled to lead off the game, and Andy Van Slyke drew a walk.  The Pirates probably thought Lindy was still pitching, as Von McDaniel took over for his ailing big brother. Von looked to stabilize the situation by striking out Sid Bream, but Bobby Bonilla tripled in the two runners, and Barry Bonds followed with a run-scoring ground out. 

Each club added a run, but with Drabek in control and Robinson strong out of the ‘pen the first inning

outburst was all the Pirates needed, just like the Cardinals in the first game, in a 4-1 win.

John Smiley over-powered the Cardinals in game three, and the Pirates chipped away for four runs off Cardinal starter ‘Vinegar Bend’ Mizell (these Cardinal hurlers have some colorful nicknames) as R.J. Reynolds and Sid Bream homered, to capture game three at home 4-2.  Wally Moon’s two-run “moon” shot in the ninth was all the scoring for St. Louis.

Game four was a case of one team coming through in the clutch, and the other missing opportunities. It looked to be the Cardinals getting the breaks early, scoring a single run in the top of the first after two-out-none-on, when Pirate starter Dave LaPoint walked Musial and Boyer, and Ennis singled in Stan the Man. The Pirates then loaded the bases in the bottom half with one out, but Herm Wehmeier got Barry Bonds on an inning-ending double play.

The Cardinals added single tallies in the second and third to take a 3-0 lead, and Wehmeier clamped down on the Pirates holding them scoreless through six. Meanwhile LaPoint and Brian Fisher kept the Cardinals from adding to their lead. Bobby  Bonilla started the Pirate 7^th inning with a single, and Barry Bonds followed with a walk. Jose Lind singled loading the bases, and Glenn Wilson then doubled home two, with Lind stopping at third. Billy Muffet replaced Wehmeier, and promptly struck out Rafael Belliard and Ken Oberkfell.  It looked like the Cardinals might retain their now slim lead, but Lavaliere drove a two-out single to center to plate Lind and Wilson, putting the Pirates up 4-3.

The score held going in to the top of the ninth. With Jeff Robinson on the mound for Pittsburgh, Blasingame and Al Dark started the ninth with singles, with Blazer going to third on Dark’s single. The Cards had the tying run at third, no out, and Stan Musial at the dish. Pirate Skipper Bill Schneider brought the infield in, and Stan obliged by hitting a sharp one hopper directly to shortstop, for the first out. Ken Boyer, already with 9 RBIs on the young season, then struck out while Del Ennis hit a drive to deep right an out too late, to end the game.

--submitted by Bike Mike--