April 1980, Part II

APRIL 1980- PART II

As the Masters teed off, Major League Baseball also began its regular season, so in honor of that event, the 1980 Remix Replay brings you three Opening Day contests, the always interesting New York Yankees playing the Rangers in Arlington, my beloved and beknighted Red Sox in Milwaukee to play the Brewers, and the late Rickey Henderson leading the A's in Minnesota against the Twins. The game is Plaay’s History Maker Baseball, one of the most unique, remarkable, and flexible games out there. 

HISTORICAL EVENTS: 

On April 2, Wayne Gretzky became the youngest 50 goal scorer in NHL history at only 19. 

And on the same day, Montreal's Guy LaFleur became the first person to score 50 goals or more in 6 straight seasons. 

The infamous Mariel boatlift began, with Cuban refugees setting off for Florida. 

Norman Mailer won the Pulitzer Prize for "The Executioner's Song."

In the Boston Marathon, a woman named Rosie Ruiz claimed the women's title, only to later have it stripped when race organizers learned she had not run the entire race. 

(ACTUAL RESULTS: New York lost to Texas, 1-0 in 12 innings. (Both starters threw 9 shutout innings.) Boston lost to Milwaukee, 9-5, on a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. And Oakland also lost in 12 innings, 9-7, on a pair of solo homers in the top of the 12th.) 

(Next month is a busy one- NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, the French Open at Roland Garros, and an FA Cup Final.) 

INDEFENSIBLE

Yankees toss away opener, 7-6

For four innings, it had seemed like standard New York fare, a long home run from Reggie Jackson opening the scoring for the visitors, and Ron Guidry, after a first inning stumble, mowing down batters with ease.

But then came the fifth. Pitcher Ron Guidry and second baseman Willie Randolph both threw easy outs into the home team dugout for a pair of errors, and before the bloodletting was complete, the Yankees’ 3-1 lead had crumbled into dust. The visitors made it interesting, though, pinch hitter Jim Spencer cranking a two run shot to close the gap to one run in the ninth. Old friend Sparky Lyle was called on at that point, and he induced a pair of groundouts to seal the win. 

NYY 030-001-002-6

TEX 100-060-00x-7 

NYY Guidry(L), May (5) and Cerone

TEX Matlack (W), Darwin (7), Lyle (9) and Sundberg

HR Jackson 2, Spencer

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

Athletics turn 3 DP in shutout 

Young Rick Langford was brilliant, tossing an Opening Day six hitter, while RBI hits from Jeff Cox, Dwayne Murphy, and Mitchell Page powered the Athletics attack. Rickey Henderson had a pair of hits in his season debut. 

MIN 000-000-000-0

OAK 011-002-00x-4

MIN Koosman (L), Williams (6), and Wynegar 

OAK Langford (W) and Essian 

HR Page

NEW SEASON, OLD SOX 

Boston takes a beating, 11-6. 

Paul Molitor’s fourth inning triple broke the dam, and the hometown Brewers flooded through, pounding Dennis Eckersley and two relievers for 11 runs and 13 hits on the way to an 11-6 Opening Day win. Boston actually trailed 11-3 in the ninth, but a Dwight Evans home run and a rash of singles scored three until, with the bases loaded, Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to finally end the threat, and in turn the game. 

BOS 010-002-003-6

MIL 200-423-00x-11

BOS Eckersley (L), Lockwood (5), Drago (7) and Fisk

MIL Slaton(W), Augustine (7), McClure (9) (S) and Moore

HR: Evans, Thomas