4/15/84: That DAM Garcia!

 There's a word for Toronto's speedy lead-off man: DAM. Damaso Garcia was up to his sneaky tricks on the basepaths, stealing 2 bases, including 3rd base, not to mention a pair of doubles, including one that broke the back of the Texas Rangers, as they fall to the DAM Blue Jays, 5-2.

Garcia started his havoc with a lead-off walk in the 1st, then stole 2nd, walking home on Dave Collins' RBI double. In the 3rd, Garcia sped all the way to 2nd on a double, stole 3rd and scored on Collins' SF to left. Garcia wasn't done as George Bell singled to open the 7th, advanced to 3rd on a double by Rance Mulliniks, both scoring on a 2-run double by that DAM guy. Ernie Whitt managed a run without the assistance of Garcia in the 4th on a long solo belt.

Texas tried, but couldn't catch up with the speedy Jays, even though Gary Ward managed 2 singles and a double and Buddy Bell (RBI double in 1st) and Larry Parrish (RBI single in 5th) managed to keep it respectable. 

Luis Leal went the distance, scattering 11 hits while striking out 4, outdueling Ranger starter Dave Stewart who went 7 and was happy not to deal with that DAM Garcia after the 7th. Dave Tobik pitched 2 perfect innings of relief for the Rangers, who dropped to 3-7. Toronto is now 7-3 heading into a home-opening showdown with the world champion Birdmen of Baltimore. 

TOR 5-7-0 TEX 2-11-0 WP-Leal LP-Stewart HR-Whitt TOR 7-3 TEX 3-7 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4/20/84: Dave Stewart 2-hits Don Mattingly, no hits rest of Yankees, 2-0

The emergence of Don Mattingly continued at Yankee Stadium , as he picked up 2 hits against Texas righty Dave Stewart . Trouble was the rest of the Yankees couldn't get anything past Stewart, as the Rangers blanked the Yankees by a 2-0 count on Stewart's gem. Stewart pitched 6 no-hit innings against the Yankees before Mattingly broke up the no-no in the 7th with a perfectly clean lead-off single. That would be the only hit off Stewart until the bottom of the 9th, when Mattingly lined a 2-out single to 2nd. PH Roy Smalley would line out to Wayne Tolleson at 2nd to end the game and Stewart's nifty 2-hitter. Just as Stewart was brilliant, so was his left-handed counterpart Ron Guidry , who struck out 9 Rangers, but made 2 mistakes which were the difference in the game. In the 4th, George Wright singled, followed by walk to Buddy Bell , giving the Rangers 1st and 2nd with nobody out. After Guidry caught Larry Parrish looking, Pete O'Brien caught a look at a Guidry cur...
Read more

4/21/84: Tigers come out smelling like a Rozema against ChiSox, 2-0

Dave Rozema , save for last-out relief help by Aurelio Lopez and Willie Hernandez , struck out 6 in limiting the White Sox to 5 hits in a 2-0 shutout in front of an enthusiastic crowd at " The Corner ."  "Rozey" got all the runs he needed in the 6th when Darrell Evans reached on a 1-out single and scored on a 2-run blast to left by Lance Parrish . Sox starter LaMarr Hoyt dodged a bases-loaded threat in the 5th and a 1st/2nd one in the 8th but still got the hard-luck loss as the Sox got blanked for the 2nd game in a row. In the ChiSox 9th, Rozema retired Carlton Fisk on a deep drive to left but after a single from Harold Baines and a walk to Greg Luzinski , Sparky brought out the "Hook" and brought in Aurelio Lopez to face Greg Walker , who "Stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched that one go by." For right-handed pinch-hitter Ron Kittle , the "Hook" came for Willie Hernandez, who blew out Kittle with a swin...
Read more

4/22/84: Astros finish sweep of Braves, 4-2

The Astros erupted for 3 runs on 6 hits in the 6th and held off a late Braves rally to complete a sweep of the struggling Atlanta ballclub by a final of 4-2.  The Astros got RBI singles from Jerry Mumphrey , Phil Garner and Alan Ashby to take a 3-1 lead in the 6th, chasing Brave starter Pete Falcone in the process. The Braves crept closer when Rafael Ramirez doubled home Albert Hall, making the score 3-2 but the Braves promptly gave the run back in the 8th when Phil Garner greeted Terry Forster with a leadoff double, then scored on Ashby's 2nd RBI single. The Braves had a great chance in the 8th when Dale Murphy led off with a walk, advanced to 3rd on a single by Bob Horner, who then took 2nd on a bases-loading walk by Chris Chambliss. Frank DiPino took over for Joe Niekro and got Jerry Royster to line to Enos Cabell at 1st and for good measure, got Bruce "Eggs" Benedict to lay one himself, grounding into an 6-4-3 rally-killing DP . The Braves could only muster a 1-out...
Read more