Saturday, July 25

Dennis Bennett (9-7) versus Curt Simmons (9-8) – and Simmons had already beaten his former team twice.

Play Ball:

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth:

• Richie Allen and Alex Johnson singled – the second hit already for Johnson in his first big-league start.
• One out later, Gus Triandos cleared the bases with a double and give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

The Cards answered in the top of the fifth:

• Bob Uecker walked.
• One out later, Curt Flood singled to send Uecker to second.
• Julian Javier walked to load the bases.
• One out later, Ken Boyer (#14) unloaded with a grand slam to put the Cards on top 4-2 – giving him 71 RBIs.

After Curt Simmons kept the Phillies off the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth, the Cards scored in the top of the sixth:

• Mike Shannon tripled and scored on Carl Warwick’s single to up the count to 5-2.

Gene Mauch replaced Dennis Bennett with Ed Roebuck (2-2) and Roebuck retired the side without further damage.

Nothing off Simmons in the bottom of the sixth, and then the Cards scored another run in the top of the seventh:

• Ken Boyer hit his second home run (#15) of the game to make it 6-2.

Costen Shockley pinch-hit for Ed Roebuck in the bottom of the seventh and Dallas Green took over in the top of the eighth:

• Bob Uecker greeted Green with a single.
• Curt Simmons bunted, but Dallas Green fumbled it – allowing Simmons to reach first and Uecker to take second.
• Curt Flood bounced into a force at second – Uecker taking third.
• Julian Javier singled to score Uecker – Flood taking third.
• Dick Groat hit a sacrifice fly to make it 8-2.

Simmons retired the side 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth – and the Cards scored again in the top of the ninth:

• Bill White singled and advanced to second when the Phillies mishandled the throw back into the infield.
• Mike Shannon singled to score White.
• One out later, Bob Uecker singled to send Shannon to third.
• Curt Simmons singled to score Shannon and make it 10-2.

With the Cards lead looking insurmountable, the Phillies nevertheless rallied in the bottom of the ninth:

• Gus Triandos singled and Bobby Wine walked.
• Wes Covington punch-hit for Dallas Green and singled to load the bases.
• Cookie Rojas singled to move the runners up a base – Triandos scoring.
• Johnny Callison singled to move the runners up a base – Wine scoring.

With the bases loaded and still nobody out, Johnny Keanne replaced Curt Simmons with Glen Hobbie (1-5).

• Hobbie walked pinch-hitter Tony Gonzalez to force home a run and shorten the gap to 10-5.
• Hobbie walked Richie Allen to force home a run and make it 10-6.

Keanne replaced Hobbie with Ron Taylor (4-2).

• Rookie Alex Johnson capped his auspicious debut with a two-run single – his third hit of the game – to pull the Phillies within two runs at 10-8.

Keanne replaced Ron Taylor with Mike Cuellar (2-3).

John Herrnstein hit a sacrifice fly to score Allen. But Alex Johnson made a rookie mistake by tagging and trying to advance into scoring position – but Curt Flood threw him out at second.

Then Mike Cuellar (#2) earned the save by retiring Gus Triandos and keeping the Phillies a run short at 10-9.

Curt Simmons (10-8) got the win and Dennis Bennett (9-8) took the loss.

After the Game:

1. The Cubs sent eight-year veteran Glen Hobbie to the Jacksonville Suns – and he would never again pitch in the big leagues.
2. The Phillies placed Dallas Green on the DL and called up Gary Kroll from Arkansas to replace Green.

Gary Kroll

Gary Kroll was a 22-year-old right-hander the Phillies signed right out of Reseda (CA) high school back in 1959. He spent the better part of four years working his way through the Phillies chain.

This season, he went 11-7 in 23 games with Arkansas – recording eight complete games and two shutouts.

Around the League:

The Giants lost to the Dodgers 7-4 and failed to make up ground on the Phillies – who were holding onto first place by two games.

In addition to being the official Eagles Outsider for BlameMyFather.com – Barry Bowe is also the author of:

• Born to Be Wild
• 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
• 12 Best Eagles QBs
• Birth of the Birds
• Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
• Soon-to-be-published novel Stosh Wadzinski
• Soon-to-be-published novel Polish Widow
• Work-in-Progress A Fuckin All-American