Apparently, these teams were so desperate to play each other than they had to go extras. The Braves took a 3-0 lead early on a double by Wise and a single by Furcal. But Hampton got in trouble in the sixth, allowing two doubles, followed by a homer to the legendary Brandon Inge. And then nobody scored.
In the top of the tenth, though, DeRosa (hitting in the ninth spot where he really belongs) doubled to lead things off. He scored when pitcher Danny Patterson threw away a bunt by Furcal. The Braves got another baserunner when Nick Green got hit by a pitch, but couldn’t get anyone else in.
It was enough, though, because John Smoltz is on right now. He struck out two and got a flyout, and needed 11 pitches, nine of them strikes to do it. Reitsma pitched the eighth and ninth for the win.
The Braves, oddly enough, scored four runs but had only two RBI (because of the errors), but three of the runs were scored earned and the fourth was the pitcher’s own fault. I don’t think this has anything to do with anything, really, but it’s kind of interesting… The Braves are back over .500. The Phillies are losing, and the Braves could be only half game out of second if that holds up. (It should, the game’s 13-6.)
Oh, as nyb and the game previews remind me, John Smoltz was Tiger property once, long ago. So that’s one connection. But I hold by my question: does any other pair of teams dating to 1901 have less in common than these two?
Is there really any excuse for batting Andruw 7th? Sure, he isn’t “clutch” like Estrada, but we can’t fit him in above Nick Green or Julio? I’m not trying to belittle either of them, but Andruw brings .350 OBP/ .500 SLG to the table.
Not that this is a massive connection between the teams but Eddie Mathews did have 160 roughly-league-average ABs for the Tigers at the end of his career.
I have an idea to spice up this bland series… Whoever wins the series gets the rights to Mike Heath’s hat when he enters the Hall of Fame, although that might clear a few benches.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/heathmi02.shtml
Really? I stand corrected on one point, then… My man Darrell Evans, who was a Hall of Fame-caliber player (in my opinion) played for both teams, including the Tigers’ 1984 world champions. Offhand, I can’t think of any others, but I’d guess there are one or two.
hmmm….robert fick?
& Paul Bako and believe it or not Rico friggin Brogna
oh yeah – Doyle Alexander. I’m done now.
They had a “natural rivalry” about 40 yrs ago.
Don’t forget the George Lombard connection.
The Braves and White Sox don’t have much in common.
…and I believe we got a fireballer named Kris Kelly in that deal. Ahhhhhhh…Kris Kelly…
The ESPN game log was so wrong last night. When I looked it had the Tigers up 3-0. I was ticked. Then I saw the highlights on Baseball Tonight. Huh?
Mac, I’ve read the Historical Baseball Abstract and Darrell Evans was a helluva player. I forgot who we got when we traded him to San Fran.
June 13, 1976: Traded by the Atlanta Braves with Marty Perez to the San Francisco Giants for Willie Montanez, Craig Robinson, Mike Eden, and Jake Brown.
Some of these guys only played a little for one team or the other, but here are some other Braves/Tigers connections:
CJ Nitkowski
Luis Polonia
Geronimo Berroa
Melvin Nieves
Joe Boever
Danny Bautista
Elias Sosa
Denny McLain
Joe Niekro
And, Trivia Time:
Four members of the 1991 Braves also played for the Tigers (either before or after 1991). Who are they?
Steve Avery also played for the Tigers.
I can’t believe no one remembers Randy O’Neal and Chuck Cary, who the Braves obtained from the Tigers for Terry Harper. A couple of Tanner-era stalwarts.
I love Tigers-Braves. The Tigers were my team from 1977-1985 (when I lived in Flint, MI) and the Braves have been my team since midway through the 1985 season (when I moved to the land that is only served by TBS). Seeing them together (even though I couldn’t really see them last night) is kind of cool for me.
And the answer to the trivia question is Mike Heath, Steve Avery, Juan Berenguer, and Dan freaking Petry who, until I checked out BR.com had no recollection of pitching 10 games for the Bravos that year. Damn!
This thread has been satisfying on multiple levels.
Randall Simon played for the Tigers in 2001-2002
Craig wins the prize!
For five glorious days in August 1991, the Braves’ long relievers were retreads to end all retreads; Dan Petry, Rick Mahler, and Jim Clancy. According to Retrosheet’s game logs, Mahler pitched from 6/16 to 8/6, Clancy from 8/2 to 10/6, and Petry from 6/28 to 8/14. Petry got in a few games for the Red Sox after his August release, but none of them ever pitched again in the majors after 1991.
For the masochists among you, check out Retrosheet’s 8/2/1991 Braves/Padres boxscore. The improbable became reality when all three once-useful pitchers appeared in a 13-3 loss. Retrosheet rules!
Does anyone out there know what happened to Keller after Richmond let him go?