Voyageurs Clinch, Griffins on the Brink
Montreal Youngest Expansion Team in Playoffs
Five Teams in Hunt for Last Three Spots
DETROIT (Sept. 15) --  The Montréal Voyageurs made history as the quickest expansion in the playoffs, in just their second year, and Detroit moved to within a single win of their first postseason appearance in their 25-year history.  Los Angeles inched closer to their second West Division pennant, and Manhattan's slump allowed St. Louis and Washington to entertain hopes of a dramatic final week comeback.  Bobby Grich (right) leads the V's with 12 RBIs and a .341 average in September.

All the details below in the day-by-day pennant race log:

Sun Sep 7	Voyageurs Clinch MON 4, SF 1 -- Montréal won their seventh straight, pushing their win total to 93 and clinching the first of four postseason berth.  Jim Rooker pitched seven shutout innings en route to his 16th win and Bobby Grich hit his 27th home run to push his RBI tally to a career-high 94. DEN 7, LA 1 -- Dave Goltz pitched a four-hitter, A-Rod (Aurelio) hit a three-run homer, and Duke Sims added a solo poke in a 14ers romp. CLE 10, DET 3 -- Larry Demery was touched four four runs and the Griffins' bullpen let in six more, as Jim Palmer cruised to his ninth win with a six-hit complete game. BRO 9, MAN 4, 11 inn. -- Brooklyn posted a six-run 11th inning, compliments of Ken Tatum, who suffered a rare meltdown.  The Sox won the season series against their crosstown rivals 7-5. STL 4, DAL 2 -- The Dark Reds won their sixth in seven games, behind the solid pitching of Joe Niekro, who improved to 10-2, and home runs by Reggie Smith and Jerry Royster.	W L GB MN MON 93 51 +13 * LA 83 61 +3 10 DET 84 60 +3 9 MAN 83 61 - 10 STL 80 64 3 16 WAS 77 67 6 19
Tue Sep 9	Sox Lose, Maroons Narrow Gap MON 5, CLE 3 -- A four-run seventh off Alan Foster extends the V's perfect September to 8-0 in front of 9,000 fans at cavernous Municipal Stadium. LA 6, CHI 0 -- The Outlaws opened a six-game homestand with a whitewashing of Chicago, as rookie Dennis Leonard pitched 8.2 shutout innings for his 15th save. DET 3, BRO 2 -- Bruce Kison outdueled Rick Rhoden for his 16th win.  The Superba rookie struck out 13, but Don Money's two-run double in the fifth was the game-winner. WAS 4, MAN 3 -- Ray Fosse hit a two-run double in the eighth to give the Mons a comeback win, end their seven-game skid, and hand the Sox their sixth loss in their last seven games. STL 6, SF 5, 10 inn. -- Don Hood walked Darrell Porter with the bases loaded in the 10th for the Spiders' fifth straight loss.  Rick Miller had three hits and Porter homered and drove in four for the Maroons, who pull within two games of fourth place Manhattan.	W L GB MN                                                   MON 94 51 +13 *    LA 84 61 +3 9    DET 85 60 +4 8   MAN 83 62 +2 10   STL 81 64 2 14   WAS 78 67 5 17
Wed Sep 10	Outlaws Win, Other Contenders Fall LA 3, CHI 2, 10 inn. -- Los Angeles extended its West Division lead to four games over St. Louis, rallying from 2-1 behind in the 10th with a rally off closer Kent Tekulve.  Jorge Orta and Dave Winfield hit run-scoring singles after a walk and a Bill Melton error put the tying and winning runs on base. BRO 4, DET 0 -- Tom Seaver authored a three-hit shutout, striking out 12, as the Griffins were shut out for just the second time since Aug. 1. WAS 4, MAN 1 -- The Sox losing ways continued, as the visitors managed just three hits off Andy Messersmith, who got win #15.  Ron Blomberg hit 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs. SF 6, STL 1 -- George Foster's three-run blast in the sixth put the game out of reach with Fergie Jenkins on the mound.  Jenkins notched his 19th win and dipped his ERA to 2.13, putting him in the lead in those two Triple Crown categories. CLE 3, MON 1 -- Rick Reuschel ended Montréal's eight-game win streak with a 12-strikeout, no earned-run performance, improving his record to 21-10 in the last two seasons, but Montréal's magic number for the East Division pennant is down to one with Detroit's loss.	W L GB MN                                                   MON 94 52 +13 *    LA 85 61 +4 7    DET 85 61 +4 7   MAN 83 63 +2 9   STL 81 65 2 13   WAS 79 67 4 15
Thu Sep 11	Montréal, L.A. Inch Toward Division Crowns MON 9, CLE 2 -- Warren Cromartie hit a three-run homer and Ernie McAnally shafted the Barons for his fourth straight win. LA 7, CHI 6 -- L.A. moved a step closer to their second West Division pennant, surviving a three-run rally in the ninth to edge the Colts and complete a three-game sweep.  Goose Gossage earned his league-leading 27th save.  The Outlaws lead St. Louis by five games with nine to play. DET 5, BRO 1 -- Dave Hamilton won his 10th and Denis Menke was 3-for-4 with three runs, as the Griffins cut their magic number to five and inched closer to their first playoff appearance in their 25-year history. WAS 6, MAN 4 -- Lefty Carlton was hammered for a second straight start in a game marred by a bench-clearing brawl.  Gorman Thomas homered twice in the loss, the eighth in nine games for the sagging Sox.  Washington's sweep have halved their margin from six to three games. SF 5, STL 2 -- Two days after blowing chunks in the 10th, Don Hood kept the lid on a 5-2 lead for his second save, as the Maroons' pennant hopes faded and their focus turned toward catching Manhattan, whom they trail by two games.	W L GB MN                                                   MON 95 52 +13 *    LA 86 61 +5 5    DET 86 61 +5 5   MAN 83 64 +2 8   STL 81 66 2 12   WAS 80 67 3 13
Fri Sep 12	V's Clinch East, Youngest Expansion Team in Playoffs; Mons Win Four Straight, Tied With St. Louis Montréal made history by clinching a division pennant in just their second season;  San Francisco took five years and Manhattan seven. MON 2, MAN 1, 10 inn. -- Ken Tatum's recent struggles continued, as he walked Andre Thornton with the bases loaded in the 10th, forcing Larvell Blanks across the plate and putting the Voyageuers in the history books as the youngest team to make the playoffs. DAL 2, LA 1 -- Randy Jones outduelled Phil Niekro and Reggie Cleveland got his 17th save in a nailbiter at Arroyo Seco.  Rod Carew, pursuing his first batting title, was 3-for-4 to lift his league-leading average to .356. DET 7, BOS 1 -- Rookie Gary Nolan turned in his finest start of the season, allowing just three hits and no earned runs in eight innings and Dick Allen, Brian Downing, and Claudell Washington homered for the Griffins, who cut their magic number to three with St. Louis' loss. DEN 8, STL 3 -- The 14ers exploded for 14 hits, including homers by Ron Swoboda and Rookie of the Year candidate John Wockenfuss, breaking the game open with four runs off Dave LaRoche in the eighth. WAS 7, BRO 4 -- Eric Soderholm led a 13-hit barrage with a double and two singles, as the Mons built a 6-0 lead off Rich Robertson in the first three innings.  Washington has won four straight and is in the thick of the playoff hunt, two games back of Manhattan.	W L GB MN                                                   MON 96 52 -- **    LA 86 62 +5 4    DET 87 61 +6 3   MAN 83 65 +2 7   STL 81 67 2 11   WAS 81 67 2 11
Sat Sep 13	Detroit's Magic Number is One, Again The Griffins find themselves with 88 wins and a magic number of one--the same position they were in on Sept. 27, 1970, when they proceeded to lose three straight chances to clinch the playoffs, including a one-game playoff, to cap an epic 3-22 collapse.  This time they have seven games to get that magic win. DET 4, BOS 2 -- Larry Demery and three relievers held the Feds to seven hits and one earned run and Reggie Jackson homered as Detroit cut its magic number to one. All Other Contenders Lose MON 4, MAN 1 -- Gary Carter hit a three-run homer and Doc Ellis got his 17th win, as the Mons handed Manhattan their fifth straight loss on a disastrous road trip.  The Sox maintained their two-game lead when both St. Louis and Washington failed to capitalize on the loss. DEN 7, STL 2 -- Dave Goltz went the distance for his second straight complete game win, scattering 11 hits, while Willie Randolph hit 4-for-4.  Joe Niekro took just his third loss in 13 decisions. BRO 4, WAS 2, 10 inn. -- Mike Schmidt snapped the Mons' four-game winning streak with a walk-off, two-run homer in the 10th off Joe Hoerner.  Washington led 2-1  in the eighth, but Greg Luzinski doubled home Keith Hernandez to tie the game. DAL 6, LA 2 -- Frank Tanana anchored a five-hitter and Gary Mathews drove in three runs as Los Angeles lost a second straight to the Texans.	W L GB MN                                                   MON 97 52 -- **    LA 86 63 +5 3    DET 88 61 +6 1   MAN 83 66 +2 6   STL 81 68 2 10   WAS 81 68 2 10
Sun Sep 14	Sox End Skid; Detroit, L.A. Falter MAN 5, MON 3 -- The Sox scored four in the eighth on doubles by Steve Rogers, Craig Robinson, and Steve Garvey to rally from a 3-1 deficit and end their seven-game losing streak.  Tom Grieve homered, extending his league lead in home runs (45) and RBIs (124). DAL 2, LA 1, 10 inn. -- Dallas completed a three-game sweep of the Outlaws with a game-winning RBI double by Bobby Murcer in the 10th. BOS 9, DET 5 -- The Griffins failed in their first clinch attempt when Bruce Kison was chased after allowing five runs in the first three innings.  Ron Cey, Tony Solaita, and Jerry Moses combined for seven RBIs for the Feds. STL 5, DEN 4 -- Graig Nettles was 4-for-5 and John Milner hit a three-run homer, and the Maroons staved a ninth inning rally to eke out a 5-4 win and stay within two games of fourth place Manhattan. BRO 7, WAS 5 -- Four Washington errors, including two by pitcher Clay Kirby, led to six unearned runs in a forgettable game for the Mons at the Frank.  Washington dropped three games behind Manhattan with six to play.	W L GB MN                                                   MON 97 53 -- **    LA 86 64 +5 3    DET 88 62 +6 1   MAN 84 66 +2 5   STL 82 68 2 9   WAS 81 69 3 10