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actionjackson · 01-27-2019, 11:11 PM

One of my favourite features about BB-Ref is the ability to look up games that you were at, or really cool games that you remember from TV or the radio, and check out things like who the starting pitchers were, what the lineups were, how the scoring happened, and on and on and on. I believe you can do this at Retrosheet as well, but I much prefer BB-Ref's interface/presentation. Matter of personal preference I guess.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...97705280.shtml

This is the first live game I ever went to in Toronto on May 28, 1977. It definitely was a pattern interrupt for my hockey obsessed mind. I was seven years old, and I went with uncle Peter and his family. Peter had picked up his love for baseball lying on the living room floor listening to Dodger games in the late 1940s and 1950s with his aunt on one of those huuuge wooden radios with the big knob in the middle. Imagine your first exposure to baseball coming as a little kid in Toronto via Red Barber and then Vin Scully. Is this heaven? No...It's Toronto.

The boxscore tells me that future Blue Jay bit player Tony Solaita batted third and played first base for the Halos that day. Joe Rudi, Bobby Bonds, and Don Baylor made up the meat of the order. The ridiculously underrated Bobby Grich hit eighth and played SS. Another future Blue Jay bit player, Willie Mays Aikens, pinch hit in the ninth inning for C Terry Humphrey, and made the final out on a popup to first, giving future Cy Young (1982 AL) winner Pete Vuckovich his third save of the year in relief of Jesse Jefferson who squared his record at 3-3 in a 6-4 win for the good guys.

Jefferson became a hero to me because he started the first game I ever went to. His career MLB numbers did not end up being great (39-81, 4.81 ERA), but I didn't care. He was the man that started this crazy obsession/love affair with the game that has lasted 40+ years and is still going strong. Also of note, Dave "La Lob" LaRoche pitched the final two innings for the visitors. Wayne Simpson had started the game for the bad guys. One other thing of note. These were the days when relief pitchers were men.

The starters for both sides lasted a combined 9.2 IP. That meant the bullpens had to pick up the slack, and boy did they ever. Three relievers (Mickey Scott, LaRoche, and Vuckovich) combined to go 7.1 IP, allowing 2 H, and an unearned run, with 2 BB, and 5 K. Also, my first umpiring crew: HP: Ron Luciano, 1B: Ken Kaiser, 2B: Bill Haller, and 3B: Bill Kunkel. I don't remember them, but I'll bet it was entertaining.

The Blue Jays first pick in the 1976 expansion draft (and second overall behind Ruppert Jones, who was picked by the Mariners), Bob Bailor hit second and played SS. Another one of my favourites, Roy Howell hit third and played 3B. Our lone 1977 all-star Ron Fairly was the DH and cleanup hitter. Three years later, I would listen to Otto "The Swatto" Velez in stunned amazement as he went 4 for 9 in a doubleheader against Cleveland with 4 R, 4 HR, and 10 RBI. Not a bad two games work I'd say.

But that's a story for another day. On this day, he would hit fifth and play right field. Doug Ault, the hero of the first game in Blue Jays' history (2 HR off the White Sox' Ken Brett in the snow on April 7, 1977) would hit seventh and play first base, while another personal fave Alan Ashby was the catcher and hit eighth.

I've regaled you enough for now, but I'm gonna continue with other games that I remember well. How about you? What are your personal favourite games, and what happened in them? Post the boxscore if you can find it so we can check it out too.

01-27-2019, 11:11 PM	#60
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	One of my favourite features about BB-Ref is the ability to look up games that you were at, or really cool games that you remember from TV or the radio, and check out things like who the starting pitchers were, what the lineups were, how the scoring happened, and on and on and on. I believe you can do this at Retrosheet as well, but I much prefer BB-Ref's interface/presentation. Matter of personal preference I guess. https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...97705280.shtml This is the first live game I ever went to in Toronto on May 28, 1977. It definitely was a pattern interrupt for my hockey obsessed mind. I was seven years old, and I went with uncle Peter and his family. Peter had picked up his love for baseball lying on the living room floor listening to Dodger games in the late 1940s and 1950s with his aunt on one of those huuuge wooden radios with the big knob in the middle. Imagine your first exposure to baseball coming as a little kid in Toronto via Red Barber and then Vin Scully. Is this heaven? No...It's Toronto. The boxscore tells me that future Blue Jay bit player Tony Solaita batted third and played first base for the Halos that day. Joe Rudi, Bobby Bonds, and Don Baylor made up the meat of the order. The ridiculously underrated Bobby Grich hit eighth and played SS. Another future Blue Jay bit player, Willie Mays Aikens, pinch hit in the ninth inning for C Terry Humphrey, and made the final out on a popup to first, giving future Cy Young (1982 AL) winner Pete Vuckovich his third save of the year in relief of Jesse Jefferson who squared his record at 3-3 in a 6-4 win for the good guys. Jefferson became a hero to me because he started the first game I ever went to. His career MLB numbers did not end up being great (39-81, 4.81 ERA), but I didn't care. He was the man that started this crazy obsession/love affair with the game that has lasted 40+ years and is still going strong. Also of note, Dave "La Lob" LaRoche pitched the final two innings for the visitors. Wayne Simpson had started the game for the bad guys. One other thing of note. These were the days when relief pitchers were men. The starters for both sides lasted a combined 9.2 IP. That meant the bullpens had to pick up the slack, and boy did they ever. Three relievers (Mickey Scott, LaRoche, and Vuckovich) combined to go 7.1 IP, allowing 2 H, and an unearned run, with 2 BB, and 5 K. Also, my first umpiring crew: HP: Ron Luciano, 1B: Ken Kaiser, 2B: Bill Haller, and 3B: Bill Kunkel. I don't remember them, but I'll bet it was entertaining. The Blue Jays first pick in the 1976 expansion draft (and second overall behind Ruppert Jones, who was picked by the Mariners), Bob Bailor hit second and played SS. Another one of my favourites, Roy Howell hit third and played 3B. Our lone 1977 all-star Ron Fairly was the DH and cleanup hitter. Three years later, I would listen to Otto "The Swatto" Velez in stunned amazement as he went 4 for 9 in a doubleheader against Cleveland with 4 R, 4 HR, and 10 RBI. Not a bad two games work I'd say. But that's a story for another day. On this day, he would hit fifth and play right field. Doug Ault, the hero of the first game in Blue Jays' history (2 HR off the White Sox' Ken Brett in the snow on April 7, 1977) would hit seventh and play first base, while another personal fave Alan Ashby was the catcher and hit eighth. I've regaled you enough for now, but I'm gonna continue with other games that I remember well. How about you? What are your personal favourite games, and what happened in them? Post the boxscore if you can find it so we can check it out too. Last edited by actionjackson; 01-27-2019 at 11:20 PM.