July 16, 1976
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Maroons' Nettles Powers West to 5-4 Win
West Extends Era of All-Star Dominance with 6th Win in Last 7 
WASHINGTON (July 4) -- The West held off a late rally to defeat the East, 5-4 in the 14th UL All-Star Game at Griffith Stadium in the nation's capital. St. Louis' Graig Nettles homered and a hit a two-run single to vault the West to an early lead, and Dave Parker's RBI double made it 4-0 after five innings. West starter Bob Moose of San Francisco gave up two walks, a single, and a wild pitch in the bottom of the second, but got out of a jam when Mike Hargrove nailed Ron Blomberg at the plate for the second out. Moose and the next three West pitchers (Reggie Cleveland and John Montefusco of Seattle and Spider ace Fergie Jenkins combined for five shutout innings.
The tide began to turn in the top of the sixth, when Monument shortstop Dave Rosello singled home new teammate Joe Torre off Fritz Peterson. But the West immediately got the run back, scoring a run off Vida Blue when Richie Zisk singled home LA's Roy Smalley. The East added a run in the eighth on John Stearns' RBI groundout, making it 5-2 and nearly clawed back into the game in the ninth. Los Angeles closer Goose Gossage (6-0, 0.53, 15 saves), the league's top closer, came to the mound in the ninth to put the game away. The Goose retired two of the first three batters he faced, striking out Dick Allen for the second out and getting a 1-2 lead on Al Oliver before Scoop blasted the next pitch over the fence in right-center, electrifying the home crowd and slicing the West lead to 5-4. After Gossage walked the next batter Craig Robinson, the stage was set for a storybook ending, when newly acquired superstar Joe Torre stepped to the plate. Torre (who has only played 12 games for the Monuments, batting .217-3-5 with a .742 OPS) came to bat representing the winning run, with an opportunity to win the game in a single swing in the home stadium of his new club. Instead the 35-year-old first baseman fell behind in the count and then feebly grounded out to third to end the game. Nettles was named Game MVP, ironically the first St. Louis Maroon to be bestowed the honor since Joe Torre in 1964. Nettles was also one of the stars of the 1972 Classic in Atlanta and narrowly missed MVP honors after driving breaking a 3-3 tie in the 8th with what proved to be a game-winning double. It was the West's sixth win in the last seven Midsummer Classics. Next year's game returns to the West and will be hosted by the Denver 14ers' Mile High Stadium. SCORING LOG
Schmidt Breaks Out of Slump
BROOKLYN (July 16) -- Slugging third baseman Mike Schmidt broke out of a season-long slump, batting .367-3-10 with a 1.154 OPS in 9 games since the All-Star break. Schmidt, 25, was the second overall pick of the 1972 Rookie Draft and had back-to-back 30 HR/100 RBI seasons in 1974 and 1975. He hit just .232-12-41 in the first half. Schmidt hit 5-for-5 on July 14 in an 8-6 win over San Francisco, in a battle of division leaders. The Brooks are 7-2 since the Midsummer Classic and have expanded their lead to five games over Washington in the competitive East Division. The Superbas-Spiders matchup could be a preview of a compelling postseason matchup and a rematch of the 1959 World Series--one of the most dramatic in league history, but one Brooklyn would rather forget. San Francisco won their first UL championship in a seven-game series with Jim Lemon's 14th inning homer at Frank Thomas Memorial Stadium. |
WEST DIVISION ALL-STAR PERFORMANCES
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EAST DIVISION ALL-STAR PERFORMANCES
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Fergie Jenkins and Bob Moose combined for three shutout innings.
1B Lee May and CF George Foster both started, but batted a combined 0-8. RF Richie Zisk drove in the winning run with a pinch-hit single in the 7th. MRs Don Hood and Vicente Romo did not play. 
The East scored all four of their runs off Outlaw pitchers. SPs Larry Dierker and Fritz Peterson each gave up a run, letting the East back into the game, and CL Goose Gossage surrendered a two-run homer to Al Oliver in the night before retiring Joe Torre for the final out.
SS Roy Smalley batted 1-4 and scored twice, RF Ken Singleton drew a PH walk, and 1B Gene Tenace was 0-1. 
Reggie Cleveland and John Montefusco retired six batters in a row, including former MVPs Joe Torre and Tom Grieve.
1B Chris Chambliss was stuck out by Rick Reuschel in the fifth. 
3B Graig Nettles took MVP honors with a solo homer and two-run single.
SP Jon Matlack stuck out two in a scoreless 7th inning. LF Mike Hargrove threw out a batter at the plate in second. C Darrell Porter started and hit 1-4 but left 3 men on base. MR Jim Kern did not play. 
1B Carlos May started and batted 0-4.
CL Kent Tekulve did not play. 
RF Dave Parker started and batted 1-3 with an RBI double in the fifth.
3B Butch Hobson played three innings of defense, but didn't bat. RF Bernie Carbo stuck out in the eighth. 
2B Willie Randolph started and batted 1-5 and scored a run.
C Johnny Bench flied out in a pinch at-bat in the 9th. |
Pitchers Dave Tomlin, Tom Seaver, and Rick Wise retired all nine batters they faced, including the last six of the game.
CF Fred Lynn started and was 0-3. C John Stearns hit an RBI groundout in the 8th. LF Greg Luzinski flied out in a pinch at bat in the 8th. 
CF Al Oliver entered the game in the seventh and hit a two-run HR off Goose Gossage in the 9th.
3B Joe Torre had three hits, but grounded out for the last out of the game. 1B Ron Blomberg started and was 0-2 with a walk. SP Vida Blue gave up a walk, hit, and unearned run in the 7th. SS Dave Rosello started and was 0-3 with an RBI groundout in the 6th. MR Milt Wilcox did not play. 
SP Rick Reuschel gave up four hits and three runs in the fifth, earning the loss, though it was charged to Bruce Sutter.
LF Orlando Cepeda grounded out in a pinch hit appearance in the 2nd. 
C Tim Blackwell started and batted 1-4.
2B Craig Robinson started and walked three times, scoring once. LF Tom Grieve started, batted 0-4, and left a game-high 5 men on base. RF Ollie Brown started and hit 0-3 with a walk. CL Ken Tatum did not play. 
SP Dock Ellis started and retired six batters in a row, striking out Dave Parker, Darrell Porter, and George Foster.
1B Andre Thornton hit a pinch single in the 5th. CL Bill Castro did not play. 
SP Bert Blyleven struck out George Foster and Mike Hargrove in a perfect 6th.
3B Ron Cey walked twice and score on Oliver's HR in the 9th. MR Bruce Sutter gave up two hits and a run in the 4th and was charged with the loss. MR Rich Folkers did not play. 
3B Dick Allen struck out in the bottom of the ninth.
RF Otto Velez did not play. |
BATTING LEADERS
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HOME RUNS
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RUNS BATTED IN
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PITCHING LEADERS
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WINS
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FIELDING LEADERS ZONE RATING
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TRADES
February 1 (358)
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February 1 (360)
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May 16 (362)
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June 16 (364)
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