QUEST FOR 715 : HANK AARON DYNASTY
This might be the shortest dynasty I have ever done but it is Opening Day 1974 and I will pick up Hank Aaron's quest to surpass Babe Ruth as baseball's all-time homerun king. I have never been one to play out my games but the graphics in OOTP19 have me hooked on doing just that so I thought watching Aaron make history would be a great way to see some games played out. My plan is to play out all the Braves games until Aaron gets #715, which would be the end of my dynasty.
I am using as-played lineups so we will see if Aaron gets his record breaking 715th off of the Dodgers Al Downing on April 8th in this sim just as he did in real life. Entering the '74 season Aaron has 713 career round-trippers, one shy of Ruth. Despite having turned 40 years of age just under two months ago, Hammerin' Hank still has plenty of pop in his bat as the 40 homeruns he hit last season can attest.
It is April 4th and Aaron and his Atlanta Braves teammates are in Cincinnati to face the Reds in the traditional National League opener. The only other game on the docket takes place in Arlington where the Texas Rangers will host the two-time defending World Champion Oakland Athletics. The A's star-studded roster features Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Bert Campanaris and Joe Rudi along with pitchers Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter and reliever Rollie Fingers. But our focus will be on Riverfront Stadium as the Braves face the defending National League West champion Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds will send Jack Billingham, who was 19-10 a year ago, to the mound in the season opener while Atlanta counters with Carl Morton. The 30 year old Morton, who joined the Braves last season after starting his major league career in Montreal, was 15-10 with a 3.41 era in 37 starts last season.
In real life Aaron would hit his record tying 714th homerun in his first at bat of the season on a 3-1 sinkerball from Billingham in the top of the first inning. The 3-run blast helped the Braves to a 7-6 victory in 11 innings.
APRIL 4th, 1974 ATLANTA at CINCINNATI
As was usually the case the Braves would have Aaron batting clean-up on this day. Looking at their lineup I see the 5-6-7 hitters would go on to have plenty of managerial experience as they were centerfielder Dusty Baker, second baseman Davey Johnson and catcher Johnny Oates. Another notable name for me is third baseman Darrell Evans - who would go on to play a big role in helping my Detroit Tigers to a World Series title a decade later. In 1974, Evans was a 26 year old coming off what would prove to be the best homerun season of his career as he hit 41 in 1973.
Speaking of World Series titles and my beloved 84 Tigers the other dugout would be skippered by none other than Sparky Anderson who had most of the pieces of the 1975 Big Red Machine at his disposal and an imposing batting order that featured Pete Rose leading off, followed by Joe Morgan, Dan Driessen, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Sr, Merv Rettenmund and Dave Concepcion.
The real life attendance on this day was a sold out crowd of over 52,000 but in my OOTP sim it looks like we will have just over 21,000 on hand to watch this contest on chilly spring day (opening pitch temp of 53F)
The game begins with Ralph Garr flying out to Rose in left field on a 2-2 count and Mike Lum grounding out to 2B Joe Morgan on the first pitch he sees. Aaron is in the on-deck circle as Darrell Evans steps to the plate against Billingham. After taking a pitch down low, Evans lofts a little flare that drops in for a single bringing Aaron to the plate with a chance to tie the legendary Babe Ruth.
First pitch is taken for a strike before the count evens when Aaron fails to bite at a sinkerball down and away. The next pitch sees Aaron take a mighty cut that looks like he wants all of the hoopla over and done with.....but he comes up empty getting nothing but air. Down 1-2 he is jammed on an inside pitch and manages nothing more than a weak nubber down the first base line. An easy play for Tony Perez, who takes it himself to end the inning.
The Reds go quietly in the first as Rose and Morgan each ground out. Driessen gets a single but is thrown out trying to steal second so after 1 it is scoreless.
SECOND INNING
Billingham looks in complete control as he fans Baker and Johnson but Oates gets a two-out single. He moves to second on a passed ball and then scores the game's first run as young shortstop Craig Robinson - in his first game with the Braves after coming over from Philadelphia in the off-season - rips a run scoring single. Billingham then settles down and gets Atlanta pitcher Carl Morton to fly out to end the inning.
Tony Perez hits a line drive single to open the Reds half of the inning bringing Johnny Bench to the plate. Bench smacks a 2-0 pitch down the left field line that looks like it is going to be extra bases but Aaron shows his athleticism with a spectacular running catch on the warning track that forces Perez to sprint back to first base. Carl Morton gets a double-play ball tapped back to him by the next batter Ken Griffey, but Morton makes a bad throw to second allowing Perez to move up 90 feet and Griffey to reach base. No damage is done as two consecutive ground outs to shortstop Robinson end the threat.
THIRD INNING
Aaron is slated to bat fourth. Garr grounds out but Mike Lum drills a homerun 379 feet to right center to put the Braves up 2-0. Evans draws a walk bringing Aaron to the plate. A cheer erupts on the 1-1 pitch as Aaron hits a towering fly ball.....but Rose takes it in easily as he barely had to move to make the catch. Dusty Baker delivers an RBI double to score Evans before Johnson hits a deep fly ball to end the Braves half of the inning. Atlanta is up 3-0
Joe Morgan gets a two-out double in the home half but he is stranded on second.
FOURTH INNING
Easy inning for both Billingham and Morton as the each set their opponents down 1-2-3.
FIFTH INNING
Top of the order for the Braves and Ralph Garr starts things off with a lead-off triple. Mike Lum does his job by hitting a fly ball to the outfielder but CF Rettenmund displays a cannon as he nails Garr at the plate to prevent the Braves from adding to their 3-0 lead. The double-play, followed by Darrell Evans' fly out means we need to wait another inning for Aaron.
Morton sets the Reds down in order for the second straight inning.
SIXTH INNING
There is a buzz in the crowd as Aaron prepares to lead-off the inning. He is 0-for-2 entering the at bat and thanks to a diving catch by Pete Rose he finishes the AB 0-for-3 on the day. Billingham fans Baker and then gets Davey Johnson to fly out to Rettenmund ending the inning.
Pete Rose gets a lead-off single but the Reds fail to score and after 6 they still trail 3-0.
SEVENTH INNING
It is a 1-2-3 top of the seventh for Billingham and Morton does the same for the Braves as he sets the Reds down in order including a pair of strikeouts.
EIGHTH INNING
Garr and Lum are retired by Billingham but Darrell Evans gets his first homerun of the season - a 426 foot opposite field solo blast to make the score 4-0 Braves and bring Aaron to the plate, likely for the last time this game. Billingham is still on the mound and he misses low with a fastball for ball one. He evens the count as Aaron takes a pitch at the letters. Billingham gets ahead 1-2 as Aaron tries to fight off a sinker but only manages to foul it away. The count goes full as Aaron refuses to bite at a couple of low offerings from the Reds righthander.
Everyone is on their feet as Billingham delivers the payoff pitch....and it is anti-climatic as Aaron only manages a hard grounder right at third baseman Dan Driessen, who throws the ball to Perez to easily retire Aaron for the 4th time in the game.
The Reds get a pair of singles from pinch-hitter George Foster and Rose but once again fail to plate a run and we head to the ninth inning with Atlanta leading 4-0.
NINTH INNING
Rawly Eastwick takes the hill in relief of Billingham. It is a 1-2-3 inning for Eastwick including a pair of k's with one of them being Dusty Baker's third strikeout of the game. All that remains to be seen is if Morton can complete the shutout. He allows a 2-out double to Ken Griffey Sr but the Reds outfielder gets no further as the Braves complete a 4-0 shutout victory.
Carl Morton, who scattered 7 hits but went the distance for the shutout win, was named player of the game.
For Hank Aaron, who finished the day 0-for-4, we will have to wait for him to catch Babe Ruth. The Braves and Reds have an off day tomorrow before resuming their three game set the following day.
On the out of town scoreboard the Oakland A's beat Texas 7-2 led by a 6-hit complete game effort from Catfish Hunter. Bill North had the big hit, a 2-run triple in the top of the 7th that snapped a 2-2 tie. Toby Harrah's 2-run homer accounted for the Rangers scoring.