QUEST FOR 715 : HANK AARON's 1974 DYNASTY

[Tiger Fan]

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.

[italyprof]

Fun . I still remember watching that game on national TV and where I was sitting when he hit 715.

[Tiger Fan]

Originally Posted by italyprof

Fun . I still remember watching that game on national TV and where I was sitting when he hit 715.

Nice.

[Tiger Fan]

APRIL 5, 1974

There will be no record equalled or broken tonight as Aaron and the Braves have the day off before the 3 game series in Cincinnati resumes tomorrow. With a free day from the Braves I decide to take in another game and there are some great choices. I could go to St Louis and watch 38 year old Bob Gibson in the twilight of his career as the Cardinals entertain the Pittsburgh Pirates. Or how about a trip to Milwaukee to see future hall of famer Robin Yount make his major league debut as the Brewers host Boston with Luis Tiant on the mound for the Red Sox. Another great choice would be to see Mickey Lolich and reigning Cy Young Award winner Jim Palmer duke it out as the Orioles host Detroit. However, in the end I decided to make the trip to Comiskey and watch Wilbur Wood and the White Sox against Nolan Ryan. Ryan is coming off a modern day (post 1901) record 383 strikeout season and while neither the White Sox or Angels are expected to challenge Oakland watching Ryan pitch in his prime is to good to miss.

CALIFORNIA AT WHITE SOX
Not Ryan's best effort. He allowed 4 earned runs on 6 hits while fanning 8 through 7 and a third before giving way to Ed Figueroa. Then the rains came as we had a 75 minute delay in the top of the 8th inning. After the lengthy delay, I got to see Tommy McCraw hit a pinch-hit two-out rbi double in the top of the ninth off of Goose Gossage to allow the Angels to tie the game at 4. Ellie Rodriquez narrowly missed a grand slam a couple batters later as the Angels left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. Despite the blown save, Gossage would get the win after Carlos May delivered a game winning rbi single in the bottom of the 10th to lead the White Sox to a 5-4 win.

It was nearly a 5 hour game so I certainly got my money's worth. Other highlights on the day saw Tiant toss 9 scoreless innings as Boston blanked Milwaukee 1-0 in 10 innings. Carl Yastremski doubled in pinch-hitter Fred Lynn with the game's only run. Lynn singled in what was his first major league at bat. Yount went 1-for-4 in what was also his MLB debut for the Brewers, who got 8 and a third scoreless innings from Jim Colborn.

Mickey Lolich outduelled Jim Palmer as the Tigers beat Baltimore 3-2. Bert Blyleven went the distance to pitch visiting Minnesota past Kansas City 4-1. In the National League, Pirates bats beat up Gibson and the Cardinals 7-2. Houston shaded San Francisco 3-2 while Don Sutton got the win as the Dodgers topped San Diego 5-3.

I am back to Cincinnati for the Braves-Reds game tomorrow but before I go here is a photo from my seats at Comiskey taken as Nolan Ryan recorded his first K of the game.

[David Watts]

Maybe as you report on Hank. Aaron, you can occasionally take a peek at Mr. Kaline to see how his quest to reach 3000 hits is going. Oh and please let me know if Al reaches 14 home runs. Always felt bad that he fell one homer shy of joining the 400 club.

[Tiger Fan]

April 6, 1974

I am back in Cincinnati as the Braves and Reds prepare for the second game of their season opening series. There is increased police presence at Riverfront Stadium amid rumours Henry Aaron has been the target of death threats. Apparently this is something he has had to deal with all winter and likely not the reason, but Aaron's name is conspicuously absent from the Braves starting line-up on this day. The more likely reason is Atlanta ownership wants the record set at Fulton County Stadium where they can benefit financially from a large crowd.

On this day the Braves send Roric Harrison to the mound. The 27 year old was 11-5 with saves for Atlanta last year, a season he split between the rotation and the bullpen. Ivan Murrell, an off-season pick-up from San Diego replaces Aaron in the outfield with the only other change in the Atlanta lineup is Vic Correll replacing Johnny Oates at catcher.

The only change for the Reds from Thursday will be the pitcher as 23 year old Don Gullett, who was 18-8 a year ago, gets the start.

Aaron makes an appearance in the 7th inning as a pinch-hitter for Roric Harrison. He steps to the plate with runners on first and third with one out as the Braves trail Cincinnati 5-2. Don Gullett's first offering is in the dirt for ball one as Johnny Bench does a nice job keeping the ball in front of him to prevent the runners from advancing.

Aaron fouls each of the next two pitches off out of play and he is behind in the count 1-2 while still looking for his first base hit of the season. After taking ball two on a high fastball, Aaron slaps the next pitch down the third base line. Reds infielder Dan Driessen gathers the ball up and makes the toss to Joe Morgan at second to retire Vic Correll. It is not in time for the doubleplay as the 40 year old Aaron gets down the line quick enough to beat out the relay to Perez at first giving Hank his first rbi of the season and cutting the gap to 5-3.

The game ends 5-3 with Gullett going the distance, fanning 6 while walking 1 and allowing 8 hits. Aaron, of course remains at 713 homeruns. His rbi increases his career total to 2134, which is second all-time behind only Ruth's 2217 rbi's.

The days highlights included a couple of great pitching performances from New York hurlers. Tom Seaver tossed a complete game 3-hit shutout as he and his New York Mets blanked Philadelphia 1-0. It was a tough loss to take for Phillies starter Steve Carlton, who allowed just 5-hits and surrendered the game's only run in the top of the ninth inning when he gave up a 1-out triple to Felix Milan and then committed a balk to allow Milan a free pass home. Meanwhile at Yankee Stadium, Mel Stottlemyre threw a 4-hit shutout to pace the Yankees past Cleveland 3-0.

Elsewhere Detroit beat Baltimore 4-3, The White Sox hammered the Angels 7-1 as Ken Henderson hit 2 more homeruns after belting one in the season opener yesterday. Minnesota scored 3 times in the top of the 9th to beat Kansas City 5-2, Milwaukee blasted Boston 8-2 and the Texas Rangers topped Oakland 4-3 as Toby Harrah homered for the second straight game.

Other National League scores saw Willie Stargell hit a 2-run homer while Bob Moose and reliever Ramon Hernandez combined on the shutout as Pittsburgh blanked St Louis 2-0. Tommy John got the win as the Dodgers thumped Randy Jones and the Padres 7-3. Finally Houston doubled San Francisco 6-3.

[Tiger Fan]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Maybe as you report on Hank. Aaron, you can occasionally take a peek at Mr. Kaline to see how his quest to reach 3000 hits is going. Oh and please let me know if Al reaches 14 home runs. Always felt bad that he fell one homer shy of joining the 400 club.

Certainly.

Kaline played in all 4 games in the Baltimore series over the opening weekend and went 4-for-14 giving him 2865 hits. One of those 4 was a two-run homer so he is up to 387 dingers for his career.

I have completed but not yet posted the Sunday write up but starting with the Tigers next series (which begins on Apr 9 at Tiger Stadium against the Yankees) I will update Kaline's numbers each day

[Tiger Fan]

SUNDAY APRIL 7, 1974

Aaron is back in the starting lineup as the Braves and Reds prepare for the rubber match of their three game set. Phil Niekro takes the hill for Atlanta where he will face Clay Kirby of the Reds. The 35 year old Niekro, who's younger brother Joe saw some action for the Braves in relief yesterday, was 13-10 with a 3.31 era last year. The 25 year old Kirby joined the Reds over the winter after spending his first 5 years in San Diego where he was 52-81 overall.

Darrell Evans hits a two-out single in the top of the first bringing Aaron to the plate for his latest attempt at equalling the record. Aaron takes the first three pitches with just one in the strike zone to make the count 2-1. He cuts but misses a 90mph fastball from Kirby on the inside corner to make the count 2-2. After Kirby misses inside with a fastball to run it to a full count, the young pitcher catches Aaron off guard as he sneaks a change-up in that Aaron can only watch for strike three.

The Reds take a 2-0 lead in the home half of the first as Dan Driessen launches a 2-run shot after Joe Morgan had reached on a one-out single. Atlanta gets one back in the top of the second when Dusty Baker doubles and then scores on an error by Driessen. The Braves tie the game in the third when Mike Lum hits a solo shot, his second homerun of the series.

Aaron gets his second plate appearance with 2 out in the third inning. Kirby missed with the first two pitches and then gave Aaron a ball to hit. Aaron blasted it down the left field line that brought everyone to their feet. It had the distance but curled foul. Just a loud strike and the count was 2-and-1. Aaron gave the next pitch a ride and it chased Reds center fielder Cesar Geronimo all the way back to the wall but he hauled the ball in and we are still stuck on 713.

The score remains 2-2 as we go to the sixth inning, an inning in which Aaron will lead-off. Hank is 0-for-2 on the day and hitless in 7 at bats so far this season. Kirby gets ahead quickly 0-2 with a foul ball and a called strike. After a ball inside, Aaron swings and misses on a big sweeping curveball and he is fanned for the second time by Kirby today.

Mike Lum leads the 8th inning of with a single for the Braves, who remain tied 2-2, but he is erased on a double play groundout off the bat of Darrell Evans. This brings Aaron to the plate for the fourth time today but his first appearance against Cincinnati reliever Pedro Borbon. Aaron gets behind in the count 1-2 after taking the first 3 pitches. He stays alive by fouling a dribbler through the third base coaches box on the next offering. After Borbon misses high with his next pitch, Aaron lifts a fastball to short center field which is an easy catch for Geronimo. Unless this game goes to extra-innings that is likely the final plate appearance for Aaron today.

Tom House replaces Phil Niekro for the Braves in the 8th. Niekro allowed just 4 hits over 7 and a third innings while House sets the next 5 Reds hitters down in order to send us to the 10th inning with the score deadlocked at 2. Clay Carroll takes over for Borbon in the 10th and is quickly greeted by back to back singles from pinch-hitters Frank Tepedino and Marty Perez which brings the Braves lead-off hitter Ralph Garr to the plate. A fielder's choice erases Perez but puts runners on the corners with 1-out. Mike Lum, who is 4-for-12 in the series with a pair of homeruns steps to the plate and promptly delivers a single up the middle to score Tepedino with the go-ahead run. That sets up runners on the corners and 1-out for Darrell Evans

Evans hits a grounder to Concepcion, who looks Garr back to third base before going to Morgan for the force out at second. So Aaron does get one more at bat, coming to the plate with runners on the corners and 2 away. Nothing comes of it as after swinging and missing at strike one, Aaron hits an easy ground ball to Concepcion, who flips to Morgan to end the inning and leave Aaron in an 0-for-10 slump to start the season.

Trailing 3-2 the Reds bats come alive against Braves reliever Max Leon in the 10th inning. Cesar Geronimo singles and scores the tying run on a 2-out single from Joe Morgan. Morgan scores when Dan Driessen rips a walk-off single in the gap to give Cincinnati the come from behind 4-3 victory. Morgan had an outstanding series, going 5-for-10 with 2 doubles and 2 stolen bases in the 3 game series.

So Aaron returns home to Atlanta where the Braves will begin a 10 game homestand tomorrow night against Los Angeles. He is not only looking for his first homerun of the season, which would tie Babe Ruth, but also his first hit in 10 at bats. Lets see if he has more success at home.

NO-HITTER

I was watching the Oakland-Texas game closely on the out of town scoreboard as Athletics pitcher Vida Blue tossed the first no-hitter of the season and the second of his career. Blue, who turned the trick against Minnesota in 1970, struck out 6 while walking 4 in a 3-0 victory.

Meanwhile the big star of the day offensively was Baltimore first baseman Boog Powell, who homered and drove in 5 runs as the Orioles beat Detroit 10-0 in the second game of a doubleheader. The O's also took the opener by a 13-10 score to even their record at 2-2 on the young season. The only other American League score saw Ron Blomberg homer for the second straight day as the Yankees dumped Cleveland 7-3

In National League action the Mets blanked the Phillies for the second straight day. This one was 4-0 as Jon Matlack went the distance. Los Angeles hammered San Diego 9-3 behind some fine pitching from Andy Messersmith while San Francisco clipped Houston 6-5 as Bobby Bonds and Dave Kingman each homered for the Giants.

[Tiger Fan]

MONDAY APRIL 8, 1974

It is a light schedule today with only 3 games on the docket. The lone American League contest is an afternoon affair between the 2-0 Yankees and the 0-2 Indians while the National League has Cincinnati taking their 2-1 record to the Bay Area to meet the 1-2 Giants. All eyes tonight will be on Atlanta as Hank Aaron makes his first home appearance of the season chasing Babe Ruth's record. The Braves opponents will be Al Downing and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In real life this is the game Aaron got #715 to pass to Ruth.

Let's see what happens:

The ball might be flying out of the park tonight as we get a homerun in the top of the first inning off the bat of Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner, who hits a solo shot off of Ron Reed to give Los Angeles the early lead. The lead vanishes in the home half when Mike Lum continues his hot start with a 1-out solo homerun off of Downing. It is Lum's 3rd homer in 4 games after hitting just 16 all of last year. After Darrell Evans grounds out for out number two the crowd rises to cheer Aaron as he makes his first plate appearance of the season at Fulton County Stadium.

Aaron takes a pair of changeup's low and then watches a slider for a called strike. He fouls the next pitch back evening the count at 2-2. Downing misses with his first fastball of the at bat low making it a full count. The payoff pitch is also low and there is a smattering of boos as Aaron trots down to first base.

The score remains 1-1 until Bill Russell snaps the tie with an rbi single in the fourth inning. Aaron then leads off the bottom of the fourth. After taking the first pitch for a ball, Aaron goes to the opposite field with a sharp single. Not the homerun everyone is looking for but fans seem to detect a sigh of relief from Aaron after rounding first and returning to the bag. He finally has his first hit of the season. Hank would score as two batters later Davey Johnson belts his first homerun of the year putting the Braves ahead 3-2.

It is still 3-2 as Aaron steps to the plate in the bottom of the fifth but he has a chance to break the game wide open. The bases are loaded with one out as Al Downing stares in and prepares to face Aaron for the third time today. Would sure be nice to see the record-tying homerun be a grand slam but instead Aaron hits a slow roller to third baseman Ron Cey and the Penguin goes home with it to prevent the Braves from adding a run. Downing gets out of the jam by striking out Dusty Baker.

Aaron leads off the bottom of the 7th but grounds out to Cey and is now 1-for-13 on the year. Somehow the Braves, who built a 6-2 lead let it get away in the top of the ninth inning so Aaron gets one more at bat in the bottom of the ninth. Dodgers closer Mike Marshall gets Hank to hit a slow topper back to him and makes an easy throw to Steve Garvey at first base to retire the Atlanta slugger.

The game ends 7-6 and the Braves record drops to 1-3 after another heartbreaking loss.

Elsewhere, Roy White hommered twice while Doc Medich allowed just 3 hits in a complete game victory for the Yankees by an 8-1 score over winless Cleveland. The Reds, fresh off a comeback against Atlanta, saw the tables turned as San Francisco scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5.

[Tiger Fan]

TUESDAY APRIL 9, 1974

After blowing leads late in each of the past two games the Atlanta Braves now sit at 1-3 and are 5th in the NL West, ahead of only the 0-3 Padres. Los Angeles is a perfect 4-0 on the year as the Dodgers prepare to send Don Sutton (1-0, 2.00) to the mound against Carl Morton (1-0, 0.00). Morton, you might recall, was outstanding in the season opener against Cincinnati.

Despite Hank Aaron finally getting his first base hit of the season, Braves skipper Eddie Mathews has decided to give Aaron the day off. We may see him but only as a pinch-hitter as Aaron continues his bid to tie and the surpass Babe Ruth as the game's all-time home run king.

The game turns into a rout as the Dodgers build a 6-0 lead through 4 innings thanks in no small part to Ron Cey's third homer of the season. Meanwhile, Sutton retires the first 9 Braves batters in order with Ralph Garr's 4th inning single being the first Atlanta hit.

When it's over it clearly is an awful night all around for Braves fans as the the Dodgers win a laugher 15-0 behind Don Sutton's 4-hitter. The Atlanta total for hits on the night was equalled by Steve Garvey alone as the Los Angeles first baseman went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. In addition to Cey, Bill Buckner and Joe Ferguson also homered for the Dodgers. All 3 of the top performers for the day in Major League Baseball were Dodgers.

Hank Aaron did not play in the game.

On the out of town scoreboard:

The Detroit Tigers got another nice effort from Mickey Lolich as the veteran lefthander went the distance, fanning 9 in a 7-1 victory over the visiting New York Yankees. Only light hitting infielder Aurelio Rodriguez and veteran outfielder Al Kaline were held hitless by the Yanks. Kaline was 0-for-4 on the day.

Goose Gossage got the win in relief as the White Sox rallied to beat Minnesota 6-5 and improve their record to 3-0. California beat Texas 5-2 for the Angels first win of the season. Nolan Ryan went the distance and fanned 8. Oakland scored 6 runs in the first inning and cruised to a 13-5 win over the Royals in Kansas City.

In the National League the Philadelphia Phillies finally got some offense. After being blanked twice by the Mets over the weekend the Phillies thumped Chicago 7-1 as Greg Luzinski and Mike Schmidt each homered. Cincinnati pounded San Francisco 8-1 while Larry Dierker tossed a 4-hit shutout as Houston blanked San Diego 5-0.

[Tiger Fan]

APRIL 10, 1974

Aaron is back in the line-up today as the Braves try to salvage one game from their 3 game series against the mighty Dodgers. It will be up to Roric Harrison (0-1, 6.00) to try and get Atlanta back on track after a dismal effort yesterday. Aaron, who had the day off, is just 1-for-14 on the season with his only hit being a single in Monday's loss to Los Angeles. He remains at 713 homeruns, one shy of Babe Ruth. The Dodgers will send Tommy John to the mound. The 30 year old lefthander allowed 2 earned runs in a complete game win over San Diego last week. Aaron once again bats fourth in the Braves lineup.

It is another rough start for the Braves as Lee Lacy hits a lead-off double and before the Braves bat for the first time the score is already 2-0 Dodgers. Ralph Garr gets a lead off single for the Braves in the top of the first and is still there with 2 out as Aaron steps to the plate. It is a cool evening in the mid-fifties but there is a bit of a wind blowing out to centerfield. John's first pitch is popped foul out of play by Aaron but the pitcher's focus is certainly distracted by Ralph Garr dancing off first base...Garr drew 3 pick-off throws before Aaron faced his second pitch, which caught the inside corner for strike two. Down 0-2, Aaron swings at the next offering and tops it, sending a slow roller back to the pitcher, who makes the toss to first baseman Steve Garvey to retire Aaron.

Atlanta gets a run back in the bottom of the second as Garr delivers his second hit of the game, an rbi single to score Davey Johnson. It is still 2-1 Dodgers as Aaron bats with 1 out and nobody on in the bottom of the third. Aaron wastes no time, swinging at John's first pitch and sending a high fly ball to centerfield. Jimmy Wynn camps under it and it settles easily into his glove, making Aaron 0-for-2 on the day and just 1-for-16 on the year.

However, not all of the Braves go as quietly as Aaron in the third. With two out, Dusty Baker and Davey Johnson each single and Ivan Murrell hits his first homerun of the season, and 32nd of his career to put Atlanta up 4-2. That lead is short-lived as Ron Cey hits a 2-run shot in the 4th inning to tie the contest up at 4 runs apiece.

The score is still 4-4 when Aaron steps to the plate in the fifth inning after Darrell Evans drew a lead-off walk. There doesn't seem to be as much excitement in the crowd this at bat as fans seem to be starting to wonder if Aaron will ever get another home run. He does get fans out of their seat with a sharp single to left field on the 1-0 pitch but it is clearly not what everyone is waiting for. Ivan Murrell seems to be stealing the show as he delivers a two-out double scoring Evans and moving Aaron to third. The Braves a have chance to bust the game open after Vic Correll draws a walk but pinch-hitter Mike Lum grounds out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Atlanta is now up 5-4 after 5.

The lead is gone quickly as Bill Russell singles in Ron Cey with the tying run off of Braves reliever Buzz Capra in the sixth inning.

Aaron comes up again in the bottom of the sixth, stepping in against John with two out and Ralph Garr, who has 3 hits already today, on third base. Aaron seems to have a little more confidence after his base hit last inning and takes a big cut at the first pitch but just misses. John nips the inside corner with a cutter that is called strike out, although Aaron and the Atlanta bench did not seem to agree with the umpire on that one. Hank is in an 0-2 hole but manages to lay off the next two pitches, that both miss. On the 2-2 pitch, he slaps a grounder headed for the hole but Bill Russell makes a nice play and has time to throw to first to retire Aaron and the Braves in the 6th.

Los Angeles scores two more times in the top of the seventh to go up 7-5 as Willie Crawford hits an rbi single and scores on a triple off the bat of Ron Cey, who is now hitting .579 with 4 homers and 12 rbi's in less than 6 full games.

Pinch-hitter Rowland Office gets one run back for Atlanta in the 8th inning with a solo homerun but we go to the bottom of the ninth with the Braves trailing 7-6. Darrell Evans will lead off, followed by Aaron and Dusty Baker. They will face Los Angeles closer Mike Marshall. Marshall gets Evans to line out to Bill Buckner in left field bring Aaron to the plate once again. Aaron gets ahead in the count 2-0, which is something that has not happened a lot so far this season. He rips a hard grounder down the third base line on the next pitch but it is just foul. The next pitch, a 91 mph fastball, is grounded right at Bill Russell who has no trouble retiring Aaron yet again. Our homerun wait continues.

Dusty Baker popped out to Jimmy Wynn to end the game and the Braves suffered their 5th straight loss.

On the out of town scoreboard:
In the American League Milwaukee blasted winless Cleveland 9-1, Minnesota and Chicago are both 3-1 on the season after the Twins earned an 8-3 victory. Frank Tanana pitched the California Angels past Texas 4-2 and Kansas City beat Oakland 5-2.

National League action saw John Curtis pitch a complete game 3-hit shutout to pace St Louis to an 8-0 drubbing of the Mets. Montreal scored three times in the top of the 10th and then hung on to beat Pittsburgh 9-7. Philadelphia beat the Cubs 4-3. Cincinnati downed San Francisco 6-2 and Houston shutout the struggling San Diego Padres 8-0.

[Tiger Fan]

So much for thinking this might be a quick 3 or 4 game dynasty. As you can see from above, Aaron has had a terrible start to the season. He has only had 1 at bat where he came anywhere close to displaying some power and that was against Cincinnati when he hit a deep foul fly ball to left field and on the next pitch drilled a deep ball to centerfield that Cesar Geronimo ran down on the warning track.

Aaron more often that not has been behind in the count and is playing like one would expect a typical 40 year old ballplayer to perform. Has age suddenly caught up to him?

Facing two of the National League's premier clubs to start the season has not helped either, but there is no reprieve from that. Atlanta finishes the four game set against Los Angeles and then Cincinnati comes to town for a 3 game weekend series. Things should get easier next week as San Diego visits for 4 games followed by a 4 game trip to Houston.

I should note that Frank Robinson has two homers in 4 games with California. Robinson now has 554 homers, good for fourth place behind Ruth, Aaron and the now retired Willie Mays. Harmon Killebrew is also closing in on 550. The 37 year old Killebrew is struggling like Aaron, going 1-for-8 with 5 walks in 3 games with the Minnesota Twins.

Another milestone fast approaching is Bob Gibson's quest for 3000 strikeouts. Gibson had just 2 k's in his first start of the year for the Cardinals and his 70 strikeouts shy of joining Walter Johnson as the only two pitchers with 3000 strikeouts. Johnson's total of 3509 is certainly out of Gibson's reach. In case you are wondering, 27 year old Nolan Ryan has 1221 career strikeouts so far, including 16 in two starts this season.

[Tiger Fan]

APRIL 11, 1974

The Dodgers send Andy Messersmith to the mound against Phil Niekro and the Braves as Atlanta tries to avoid a 4 game sweep at the hands of their division rivals. Hank Aaron and his .105 batting average is back in the clean-up spot once again for the Braves.

Niekro survives the first without damage and Aaron gets an at bat in the opening inning after Darrell Evans hits a one out single to right field. Aaron's bat hasn't left his shoulder after the first four pitches and he is ahead in the count 3-and-1, which I believe is the first time he has had such a count all season. But, he does nothing with it as he grounds out to Ron Cey to end the inning.

The game is still scoreless when Aaron steps to the plate in the 4th inning with one out and Evans on first after drawing a walk from Messersmith. Aaron takes a strike and then a ball before swinging and missing on a 68 mph change-up. Down 1-2 in the count, Aaron swings and is fooled by another off-speed pitch, striking out and dropping his batting average to .095.

After Ron Cey draws a lead-off walk in the top of the fifth, Steve Garvey delivers the first Los Angeles hit of the game, a single that moves Cey to third. Bill Russell follows with a single and it is 1-0 Dodgers heading into the bottom of the fifth.

It remains 1-0 as Messersmith gets strike outs 6 and 7 on the game by fanning Mike Lum and Evans, bringing Aaron to the plate for the third time in the game. The bases are empty and there are 2 out. Aaron fouls off the first pitch, takes the second low for a ball, and then hits a lazy pop fly to Dodgers right fielder Willie Crawford to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 8th Rowland Office leads off as a pinch-hitter for Phil Niekro, who had a fine outing allowing just 3 hits and the 1 run over 8 innings while fanning 9. Unfortunately, Messersmith has been just as good so far, scattering 4 hits while striking out 7 throuhg 7 innings.

Office reaches on a rare error by Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes. Ralph Garr follows with a bloop single that drops in front of Bill Buckner in leftfield and the Braves are in business with runners on first and second, no one out and the heart of the order coming up. Mike Lum has had a good start to the season, but a bad game and he is fanned for the second time tonight bringing Darrell Evans to the plate with one out. Evans draws a walk so Hank Aaron comes up with the bases loaded for the second time this season. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the 8th this would be a great time for Aaron to end his slump.

The Dodgers stay with Messersmith and his first pitch to Aaron is a low fastball for ball one. Aaron fouls the next pitch off of catcher Joe Ferguson to even the count. He takes a homerun cut at the third pitch but gets nothing but air and an audible gasp from the crowd. Aaron is behind in the count 1-2. He swings at the next offering, a curveball, and hits it a mile in the air but short as Bill Buckner comes in and camps under it. Aaron is 0-for-3 and the fly out was not deep enough for Office to try and come home with the tying run. Dusty Baker flys out to left field and Messersmith escapes the jam unscathed.

The Dodgers increase their lead in the top of the ninth as Willie Crawford hits a 2-run homer off of reliever Max Leon and the game ends 3-0 Los Angeles with Messersmith going the distance while allowing 5 hits.

Another Oh-fer day for Aaron who was hitless in 4 at bats and is now batting .087 on the year.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Al Kaline goes 1-for-4 to raise his career hit total to 2866 but his Detroit Tigers get hammered 15-1 by the Yankees. Roy White hit a pair of homers and scored 4 runs to lead the Yankees.

Baltimore beat Boston 5-3 as Jim Palmer outpitched Luis Tiant. Milwaukee beat Cleveland 6-2 dropping the Indians record to 0-5 on the season. 18 year old rookie shortstop Robin Yount had 2 more hits for the Brewers and is batting .333 afer 4 games. Bobby Valentine had a 4-hit game to pace California past Texas 11-3.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tom Seaver and the Mets blanked Bob Gibson and the Cardinals 2-0 in the opener of a doubleheader. It was Seaver's second straight 3-hit shutout of the season. St Louis took the nightcap 2-1 thanks to a strong start from Alan Foster and Al Hrabosky's first save of the season. Dock Ellis got the win as Pittsburgh dumped Montreal 5-2 and Houston handed San Diego it's 6th straight loss to start the season. 5-2 was the final score. Finally, Philadelphia rapped out 16 hits in an 11-6 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley.

[Tiger Fan]

FRIDAY APRIL 12, 1974

Braves fans are happy to see Los Angeles leave town after the Dodgers swept 4 games, outscoring Atlanta 32-12 in the process. It does not get much easier for the 1-6 Braves as Cincinnati comes to town for a 2 game series beginning tonight. Clay Kirby takes the mound for the Reds. Kirby and a pair of relievers had Aaron go 0-for-5 against them in a 4-3 Reds win in extra innings last Sunday. Ron Reed, who took the loss against Los Angeles on Monday, gets the start for the Braves.

The game is scoreless when Aaron gets his first at bat, leading off the second inning. The first pitch is grooved down the middle and Aaron gives it a ride to the opposite field. Ken Griffey goes back, back and hauls the ball in at the wall. Aaron gave it a ride but it was about 3 feet short of making history. Instead it is just a loud fly ball out but it certainly got the crowd into the game.

It is still scoreless when Aaron bats again to lead off the 5th inning. Atlanta is still searching for its first baserunner as Kirby has retired the first 12 batters in order, including 7 strikeouts. Aaron breaks up the perfect game with a single up the middle on a 2-2 pitch. Dusty Baker follows with a 407 foot homerun to centerfield giving the Braves a 2-0 lead.

Ron Reed is doing a great job for Atlanta, holding the Reds scoreless on 5 hits as we head to the bottom of the 7th. The Braves only have two hits of their own including one by Aaron, who leads off the home half of the 7th inning. Kirby falls behind in the count 3-and-0 and, after Aaron takes a pitch for a strike, he is walked on a high and outside pitch. A double play helps the Reds get out of the inning and we go to the 8th with Atlanta still up 2-0.

After a 1-2-3 8th inning, Reed is just 3 outs away from a complete game victory. Pete Rose leads off the ninth with a single and Joe Morgan slaps a double down the left field line. Suddenly the tying run is on second base and Dan Driessen steps to the plate. Driessen grounds out to Evans, forcing Morgan and Rose to remain at second and third respectively. Looks like the game is Reed's to win or lose as the Braves leave him in to face Tony Perez. And it turns out to be a mistake as Perez hits a single to right scoring both runners and tying the game at 2. Tom House takes over and gets the Braves out of the jam but House clearly came in at least 1 batter too late.

The only good news is Aaron will get another at bat. He is slated to hit second and comes up after Evans grounds out to Concepcion. Clay Kirby is still pitching for Cincinnati and Aaron watches as he throws two quick strikes. After a ball in the dirt, Aaron swings and misses, becoming Kirby's 9th strikeout victim on the night.

House loads the bases in the top of the 10th on singles by Griffey and Rose along with a walk. He then issues a free pass to Perez, which brings in the go-ahead run before Johnny Bench flies out to end the inning. The Braves come up in the bottom of the 10th trailing 3-2 and in danger of blowing another game they were so close to winning.

The Braves have hope when Johnny Oates gets a 1-out single off of reliever Pedro Borbon. The next batter, pinch-hitter Marty Perez looks like he may have tied the game with a sinking liner headed for the gap but Pete Rose comes out of nowhere and saves the day with a diving catch. One batter later Borbon and the Reds are celebrating another win and the Braves are left to wonder what happened, going from up 2-0 heading into the ninth to suffering a 3-2 loss.

Aaron did get a hit, going 1-for-3 to raise his average to .115 on the season.

In other National League play Sonny Siebert and the St Louis Cardinals blanked Pittsburgh 3-0 while the Houston Astros handed Los Angeles their first loss on the season. The 6-1 Astros thumped the Dodgers 9-1. The other game saw San Francisco beat winless San Diego 4-3 in 11 innings.

In the American League the Detroit Tigers trimmed Boston 3-2 despite Red Sox homers from Cecil Cooper and Bernie Carbo. Al Kaline went 0-for-3 in the contest. Baltimore clobbered Milwaukee 11-3. The Indians fell to 0-6 after losing 3-2 in 10 innings to the New York Yankees. Roy White got his major league leading 5th homerun in the victory. Nolan Ryan fanned 9 over 5 innings to help California edge the Chicago White Sox by a score of 6-5.

[Tiger Fan]

SATURDAY APRIL 13, 1974

The 1-7 Braves send Carl Morton (1-1, 5.06) to the mound against Cincinnati's Jack Billingham (1-1, 2.65) in a rematch of opening day. Hank Aaron is not in the starting lineup for this game.

Dusty Baker gets an rbi single in the bottom of the first and Morton holds the Reds in check for 6 innings. Unfortunately for Braves fans, of which there are less than 14,000 in attendance, everything falls apart in the 7th inning. The Reds send 12 men to the plate and score 6 runs in the frame. Joe Morgan hits a 3-run homer and Johnny Bench belts a 2-run shot in the onslaught that chases Morton.

Atlanta gets a run back in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an rbi double off the bat of Marty Perez. With Perez on second and one out, Hank Aaron is called on to pinch-hit for the pitcher. Aaron will face Billingham, against whom he was 0-for-4 in the season opener. He is quickly behind 0-2 after taking a strike and then fouling back the second offering. After another foul ball and a low pitch, Aaron turns on a fastball. He gives it a good ride but it is not quite deep enough as Pete Rose gathers it in shy of the warning track. Ralph Garr then grounds out to strand Perez at second.

The Braves do get 3 more runs in the 8th inning to make the final score respectable but it ends 6-4 and they suffer their 8th straight loss.



In other National League action Montreal and the Cubs split a twin bill at Wrigley with the Expos taking the first game 6-2 and Chicago winning the second by a 7-6 score. St Louis downed Pittsburgh 4-1 behind a Lynn McGlothen 3 hitter. Jimmy Wynn had a big day in Houston, homering twice and driving in all 3 runs to lead the Dodgers to a 3-2 win in 12 innings. Finally, San Diego got it's first win of the season as the Padres beat the Giants 7-3.

In the American League the Boston Red Sox beat Detroit 5-2 despite Al Kaline hitting his second homer of the season and 388th of his MLB career. Kaline was 1-for-3 on the day and now has 2867 career hits. Lou Piniella's rbi double in the 12th inning lifted the New York Yankees past Cleveland 3-2. It was a tough no-decision for Indians starter Dick Tidrow, who pitched 10 innings allowing just 2 hits but one of them was a 2-run homer off the bat of Thurman Munson.

Elsewhere Tony Solita had a pair of hits and drove in 4 runs to help Kansas City past Minnesota 10-6. Baltimore beat Milwaukee 7-5 as Ross Grimsley improved to 2-0. Tom Grieve hit a pair of homers to help Texas thump Oakland 10-1 while in Anaheim, the California Angels beat the White Sox 3-1.

[Tiger Fan]

SUNDAY APRIL 14, 1974

Today is listed as an off-day so I assume it was in real life a rain out, which gives Aaron and the Braves a day off before San Diego comes to town tomorrow. I decide to go to Fenway and take in the Tigers-Red Sox game. Al Kaline, who is closing in on both 400 homers and 3000 career hits, will DH and bat 4th for the Tigers. A pair of veteran pitchers are on the hill in Mickey Lolich of Detroit (2-0, 1.65) and 36 year old Juan Marichal - who is making his Boston debut after winning 238 games with the Giants over 14 seasons.

Only the weather could get to Marichal, who is forced out of the game in the top of the ninth due to a 56 minute rain delay. Marichal allowed just 3 Detroit hits and with the help of reliever Diego Segui shut out the Tigers 2-0. Lolich went the distance for Detroit and took his first loss of the season. Kaline was 0-for-3 in the game.

In other games Roy White hit his MLB leading 6th homer and Thurman Munson went deep for the second straight day as the Yankees beat winless Cleveland 7-4 in the opener of a doubleheader. Cleveland dropped to 0-9 on the year with a 4-3 loss in the nightcap. Frank Tanana outduelled Stan Bahnsen as California topped the White Sox 2-1. Kansas City edged Minnesota 4-3. Oakland rebounded after getting thumped by the Rangers yesterday to beat Texas 3-2 in the opener of their doubleheader but the Rangers Fergie Jenkins shut out the A's 3-0 in the second game.

Jon Matlack threw his second complete game shutout of the season to lead the Mets past Philadelphia 1-0 in the opener of a doubleheader. The Mets also took the second game by a 7-2 score. The Cardinals got 10 runs in the first inning and clobbered the Pirates 16-1 in the first of two games but Pittsburgh won the second contest 6-3. Houston moved to within a half game of the Dodgers in the NL West with a 3-2 win at home over LA. San Diego won for the second day in a row, beating San Francisco 6-1.

[Tiger Fan]

MONDAY APRIL 15, 1974

There are plenty of national reporters still around but the numbers have clearly diminished as the wait for Hank Aaron to catch and surpass Babe Ruth's record drags on. After facing nothing but Dodgers and Reds pitching for the first week and a half, perhaps seeing the San Diego Padres will be just what Aaron - and the 1-8 Braves - need. San Diego dropped it's first 7 games of the season before beating the Giants twice over the weekend. Randy Jones (0-2, 6.14) gets the start for the Padres against Phil Niekro (0-1, 1.76).

The game will also be my first chance to watch 22 year old Padres outfielder Dave Winfield in action. Winfield is 1-for-9 in 6 games this season but he hit .277 in 141 at bats with the Padres after being called up last year.

In a move to shake things up, or perhaps try and get Aaron an extra at bat, Atlanta manager Eddie Mathews has moved Aaron up to third in the batting order and put Dusty Baker (.273,1,4) in the cleanup spot.

Aaron steps to the plate in the bottom of the first with one out and Marty Perez on first base in a scoreless game. Aaron takes a fastball for strike one and then successfully checks his swing on the next offering. He fouls the next pitch from the lefthander into his own dugout making the count 1-and-2. After another foul ball he skies and infield fly that Padres first baseman Nate Colbert catches in foul territory. Aaron's average drops to .107.

In the top of the second Dave Roberts doubles in Nate Colbert with the game's first run. Aaron comes up again in the bottom of the third with runners on first and second and one away. A swinging strike and a foul ball have Hank quickly behind Jones 0-and-2 but he works the count to 2-2 before hitting a fly ball to centerfield that is an easy catch for Johnny Grubb. Dusty Baker delivers an rbi single scoring Phil Niekro, who led off the inning with a walk, and tying the game at 1.

Still 1-1 in the bottom of the 5th, Aaron gets his third at bat against Jones. He is up with 1 out and Ralph Garr on first base. Aaron swings at the first pitch and lofts another fly ball that Padres centerfielder Grubb only needs to take a couple of steps to haul it in and Aaron is now 0-for-3 on the day.

Back to back rbi doubles from Grubb and catcher Fred Kendall put the Padres up 3-1 in the top of the sixth inning. Aaron gets another at bat against Jones in the bottom of the 7th, stepping in once more with a runner on base but two out this time. He fouls the first pitch away, takes a couple pitches low and then makes a big cut but comes up empty against a slider from Jones making the count 2-2. He grounds the next pitch back to the pitcher and it is an easy out to end the inning and I once again start to wonder if he is ever going to get a homerun.

The game ends 3-1 San Diego and the Braves fall for the 9th straight time.

KALINE HOMERS AGAIN

On the out of town scoreboard I see that Al Kaline had a big day in Boston as the Tigers blanked the Red Sox 7-0. Kaline went 3-for-5 with a homer, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored. It is his third homerun of the season and 389th of his career. The 3 hits get him to 2870 in his bid to become just the 12th player to reach the 3000 hit plateau. He would have been the player of the game had it not been for the efforts of Joe Coleman, who tossed a 4-hit shutout. Kaline is ahead of his real life homer pace as he hit just 1 in the first 10 games of the real 1974 season. However, his 9 hits this season are 2 back of where he was at this point in real life.

In other American League games Baltimore edged Milwaukee 4-3 thanks to a 9th inning solo shot from Andy Etchebarren. Ken Holtzman tossed a shutout to pace Oakland past the Chicago White Sox 2-0 and California doubled Minnesota 8-4.

The Cardinals beat Philadelphia 5-3 and San Francisco doubled Houston 8-4 in the only other National League games on the docket.

[David Watts]

400 is looking like it could happen.

[skyballer455]

No matter that It's taking longer than you thought, I'm really enjoying it so far! I just have a couple of questions:

How did you get that seat view at Comiskey? I can't seem to be able to move the camera in-game. Also, how do create those awesome composite images? I've tried doing it in Photoshop, but it appears you need to know the final image size ahead of time.

[Tiger Fan]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

No matter that It's taking longer than you thought, I'm really enjoying it so far! I just have a couple of questions:

How did you get that seat view at Comiskey? I can't seem to be able to move the camera in-game. Also, how do create those awesome composite images? I've tried doing it in Photoshop, but it appears you need to know the final image size ahead of time.

For composite images I have an old version of paint shop pro and what I do is create a blank image with white as the background color and then just cut and paste my screenshots of the box score and baseball cards and arrange them on my new image. Once they are arranged I just cut and paste the area I want into a new jpg image and save it. Hope that makes sense.

For the seat view you can not create different views during the game as far as I know. So what you have to do before the game is go to White Sox team page and select edit ballpark. Choose 3D model and then you can move the camera around. Once you get a view you like you can then save it either by overwriting an existing view or creating.

I attached a couple of images to hopefully help you.