King of the World: Barry Bonds Chases Sadaharu Oh

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Wednesday, June 17, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Phillies in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium, Tommy Greene will pitch for the Phillies, while Randy Tomlin heads to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds in in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game 8-2.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he flew to the Phils' Lenny Dykstra in shallow right center. After Jay Bell grounded to first for the second out, Andy Van Slyke doubled to right, That brought up Orlando Merced, who hit a ball over Tom Marsh's head in left that rolled all the way to the wall, then kept rolling along the wall toward the corner, Va Slyke scored easily to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead, and Merced ended up at third with a triple. Catcher Mike LaValliere's line drive was speared by Phils third baseman Dave Hollins to end the inning.

In the third, Bonds clanked Greene's 0-2 fastball off the left field foul pole for his thirty-sixth home run of the year to put the Pirates up 2-0, It was also career homer number 852. Bonds is now sixteen homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

In the fifth, first baseman John Wehner led off with a single to right, After Tomlin flew to left center for out number one, Wehner stole second. Bonds walked to put two men on, but Bell was called out on strikes. Van Slyke was next, and he lined a single to right center, Wehner scored, and the Pirates led 3-0, Bonds went to third on the hit, but he was stranded when Merced grounded to second to end the inning, There was no further scoring.

In the sixth, LaValliere led off with a lined single to right. Third baseman Steve Buechele's single to left put two men on, and second baseman Jeff King walked to load the bases. But Greene rebounded to get the next three outs in order: Wehner flew to shallow center, Tomlin's fly down the left field line was caught by Marsh, and Bonds took a called third strike.

Final totals: Pirates 3-8-0, Phillies 0-4-0.

W- Tomlin (15-9)
S- Belinda (23)
L- Greene (3-4)

HR- PIT: Bonds (36)

DL- D. Robinson (2-3)

LHR- PIT: King (14), Varsho (2), LaValliere (1)

Tomlin was named Player of the Game. He shut out the Philles on four hits over eight innings, walking one and striking out two, He threw eighty-two pitches,

Bonds was one for three plus a walk with a home run. He's currently batting .315 (156-496) with thirty-six home runs and 108 runs batted in.

He's taken the undisputed lead in the National League home run race, and he's currently third in the majors. Jose Canseco of the Athletics is second with forty-two,

He's second in the National League with 108 RBIs. The Phils' Darren Daulton is the leader with 110,

He's currently sixth in the National League batting race, two points behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn,

He's scored 118 runs, which leads the majors by four over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's walked 139 times, which leads the majors by seventeen over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His on-base percentage has risen to .464. He leads the majors by twenty-five points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage is now .625, He leads the majors by forty points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.089. He leads the major leagues by 114 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. Kruk was two for four in the actual game and one for four in the sim. He's now batting .329 (167-508). which drops him into second place in the National League batting race. Gary Sheffield of the Padres has reclaimed the lead at .330.

Van Slyke was 0 for 3 in the actual game and two for four in the sim. He's currently batting .321 (198-617). That's good for fourth in the National League batting race, two points behind the Reds' Bip Roberts for third.

Next: The Pirates welcome the Expos to Three Rivers for Game 1 of a four-game series on Thursday, June 18. Chris Nabholz will start for the Expos, while Bob Walk gets the ball for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Thursday, June 18, 1992, and the Pirates are taking on the Expos in the first game of a four-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Chris Nabholz will start for the Expos, while Bob Walk pitches for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will bat fourth, as his replacement Lloyd McClendon did in real life. The Expos won the actual game, 4-0.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the second, his fly to right was caught at the wall by the Expos' Larry Walker.

In the fourth, he grounded to short.

In the seventh with the Expos leading 5-0, he lined a leadoff double into the left center power alley, moved to third on first baseman Jeff King's bouncer to second, and scored on third baseman Steve Buechele's grounder to second. Catcher Don Slaught's grounder to short ended the inning. After seven, it was Montreal 5, Pittsburgh 1,

In the eighth, Lind beat out a grounder to third for an infield single. Orlando Merced batted for reliever Tim Wakefield and flew to center for out number one, and right fielder Cecil Espy forced Lind for out number two, Jay Bell's bloop single to right center put runners at the corners, and Andy Van Slyke followed with a triple off the top of the wall in center. Espy and Bell scored, and the Pirates' deficit was cut to 5-3. Nabholz was excused in favor of reliever Jeff Fassero, who retired Bonds on a line drive that was caught by second baseman Delino DeShields to end the inning.

Final score: Expos 5, Pirates 3,

Now let's see how the Expos scored their runs:

In the top of the first, center fielder Marquis Grissom lined a double into the left center power alley. Deshields followed with a lined single to left center that scored Grissom and gave the Spos a 1-0 lead. DeShields was thrown out trying to steal second, but left fielder Moises Alou singled to left, then stole second. He moved to third on Walker's slow roller to first and scored on catcher Darrin Fletcher's double to right to make it 2-0,

In the top of the fourth. third baseman Tim Wallach led off with a base hit to center First baseman Archi Cianfrocco lined a single to left center to put two men on. Shortstop Spike Owen flew to Van Slyke in right center for the first out, with Wallach moving to third. After Nabholz struck out swinging for out number two, Grissom lined a double off the wall in center to bring home Wallach and Cianfrocco and extend the Montreal lead to 4-0. DeShields was next, and his bloop single to right center cashed Grissom in to make it 5-0,

Final totals: Expos 5-13-0, Pirates 3-7-0,

W- Nabholz (12-12)
S- Wetteland (36)
L- Walk (12-7)

DS- Fassero
DL- Palacios (3-1)

Bonds was one for four with a run scored. He's currently batting ,314 (157-500) with thirty-six home runs and 108 runs batted in.

He's now scored 119 runs, which leads the majors by five over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's still sixth in the National League batting race, two points behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn.

He has thirty-seven doubles, which puts him in a three-way tie for seventh in the National League with the Cubs' Mark Grace and the Mets' Eddie Murray.

His on-base percentage is currently .462. He leads the majors by twenty-three points over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His slugging percentage is currently .624. He leads the majors by thirty-nine points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.086. He leads the majors by 111 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. I completely forgot about calculating Van Slyke's batting average. There was only one documented at-bat, which was a hit. We'll carry over his other two at-bats, which were outs. He's currently batting .323 (199-617), which is tied for third in the National League with the Reds' Bip Roberts.

Next: Game 2 between the Expos and the Pirates on Friday, June 19. Ken Hill will start for the Expos, while Doug Drabek goes to the mound for the Pirates,

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, June 19, and the Pirates are hosting the Expos in the second game of a four-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Ken Hill will pitch for the Expos, while Doug Drabek goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Expos won the actual game, 2-1.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at bats:

In the first, he flew to Marquis Grissom in left center.

In the third with one out, Jose Lind stroked a single to right. Drabek bunted him over to second, and Bonds walked to put two men on. Bell's grounder to short ended the inning.

In the fifth with one out, Bonds singled to right. Bell's bloop fell in left field for a single to put two men on, and Andy Van Slyke walked to load the bases. The Expos got out of the inning when first baseman Orlando Merced grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

In the sixth, right fielder Cecil Espy led off with a single to right, but he was erased when third baseman John Wehner grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Catcher Don Slaught's bloop single to left center kept the inning alive with a bloop single to left center. Lind singled to left to put two men on, and Steve Buechele came out of the dugout to bat for Drabek. He grounded the first pitch he saw past a diving Hill and into center for a base hit, which brought Slaught home and gave the Bucs a 2-1 lead.

Bonds was next. and he lined Hill's 1-2 curveball over the wall in right center for a three-run homer to give the Pirates a 5-1 lead. it was Bonds' thirty-seventh home run of the year and career homer number 853. He's now fifteen home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh,

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the third with two out, Grissom hit Drabek's 1-1 curveball down the left field line and over the wall for his ninth home run of the year to give the Expos a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Van Slyke drew a leadoff walk, and Merced followed with a double off the wall in right to bring him home and tie the game at one,

In the top of the seventh with two out and the Pirates leading 5-1, shortstop Spike Owen lined a single to right. Reliever Jeff Fassero batted for himself and stroked another single to right that put runners at the corners, and DeShields' single to left scored Owen to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 5-2, which was our final,

Final totals: Pirates 5-9-0, Expos 2-8-0.

W- Drabek (16-10)
S- Belinda (24)
L- Hill (15-10)

HR- MTL: Grissom (9)
PIT: Bonds (37)

DS- Wetteland (35)

Here are the updated standings in the National League East;

Pirates: 99-63
Expos: 85-77- 14 GB
Cardinals: 83-79- 16 GB
Cubs: 78-84- 21 GB
Mets: 72-90- 27 GB
Phillies: 70-92- 29 GB

Bonds was named Player of the Game. He was two for three plus a walk with a home run and three RBIs. He's currently batting .316 (159-503) with thirty-seven home runs and 111 runs batted in,

He remains sixth in the National League batting race, one point behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn,

He's third in the major league home run race, five behind the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

He's taken the National League RBI lead by one over the Phillies' Darren Daulton. He's fifth in the major leagues, one behind a pair of Bell(e)s tied for fourth: George of the White Sox and Albert of the Indians.

He's scored 120 runs, which leads the majors by six over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's walked 140 times, which leads the majors by eighteen over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

He has eighty singles.

His on-base percentage is .464. He leads the majors by twenty-five points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .630. He leads the majors by forty-five points over McGwire.

His OPS is 1.094. He leads the majors by 119 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. Van Slyke was 0 for 3 in the actual game and 0 for 2 in the sim. He's currently batting .323 (199-616) which ties him for third in the National League batting race with the Reds' Bip Roberts.

Next: Game 4 between the Expos and the Pirates on Sunday, June 21. Dennis Martinez will pitch for the Expos, while Bob Walk makes his second start of the series for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Sunday, June 21, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Expos in the fourth and final game of a four-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Dennis Martinez will start for the Expos, while Bob Walk heads to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement Cecil Espy did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 5-4.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, right fielder Gary Varsho beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single; he was forced by Jay Bell. Andy Van Slyke's line drive was caught by Expos first baseman John Vander Wal for out number two, but first baseman Orlando Merced walked to keep the inning alive. Bonds flew to former Pirate Moises Alou in right to end the inning.

In the fourth, Bonds led off with a single to left, but he was erased when catcher Mike LaValliere bounced into a force play. Third baseman John Wehner walked to put two men on, and Jose Lind reached to load the bases when Expos shortstop Spike Owen booted a potential double play grounder. Steve Buechele batted for Walk and struck out swinging for out number two, and Varsho's tapper to first ended the inning with the bases still loaded.

In the sixth, Bonds popped up to Delino De Shields at second.

In the eighth, he flew to shallow right center.

The Expos scored all four of their runs in the second. Vander Wal and catcher Gary Carter drew back-to-back walks. Third baseman Tim Wallach stroked a single to left to load the bases. Left fielder Darren Reed's fly to right was caught by Varsho for the first out, but Vander Wal scored to give the Spos a 1-0 lead. Owen was next, and he smacked Walk's 0-1 fastball over the wall i center for a three-run homer to extend the Montreal lead to 4-0. It was his eighth home run of the year.

The Pirates scratched out a run in the bottom of the ninth. Lind led off with a single to left. After Lloyd McClendon (batting for reliever Tim Wakefield) struck out swinging for out number one, Varsho beat out a grounder to second for an infield single to put two men on, and Bell's single to center brought Chico home to put the Buccos on the board while Varsho moved to third.

Expos closer John Wetteland entered at that point and needed just four pitches to get the final two outs, as Van Slyke flew to shallow right and Merced's liner was gloved by DeShields to end the game. Final score: Expos 4, Pirates 1.

Final totals: Expos 4-6-1, Pirates 1-9-0.

W- D. Martinez (17-10)
S- Wetteland (36)
L- Walk (12-8)

HR- MTL: Owen (8)

DW- Jeff M. Robinson (3-1)
DS- Belinda (23)

LHR- PIT: Merced (5)

Owen's three-run homer earned him Player of the Game honors.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East;

Pirates: 98-64
Expos: 86-76- 12 GB
Cardinals: 83-79- 15 GB
Cubs: 78-84- 20 GB
Mets: 72-90- 26 GB
Phillies: 70-92- 28 GB

Bonds was one for four with a single. He's currently batting .316 (160-507) with thirty-seven home runs and 111 runs batted in,

He's still sixth in the major league batting race, one point behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn.

He has eighty-one singles.

His on-base percentage is .463. He leads the majors by twenty-four points over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .628. He leads the majors by forty-three points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.091. He leads the majors by 116 points over Thomas.

I deleted the sim before I remembered to calculate Van Slyke's batting average. It's a mess by now, since I've forgotten three times, but let's take a stab at it for giggles. We documented two of his at-bats, and he was one for two, We add in his final two real-life at-bats, which were outs, and we come up with .325 (200-616), which is third in the National League, four points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

Andy has also taken the National League lead in hits away from the Braves' Terry Pendleton, who's now second with 199.

Next: The Pirates host the Cardinals on Tuesday, June 23. Omar Olivares will pitch for the Cardinals, while Bob Walk makes his third start in five days for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, June 23, and the Pirates are hosting the Cardinals in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Omar Olivares will start for the Cardinals, while Bob Walk gets the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 6-4.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first. he led off by hitting Olivares' 2-0 fastball over the wall in right for his thirty-eighth home run of the year to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was also career home run Number 854. He's now fourteen homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

In the third, he led off with a double into the right center power alley. Jay Bell's popup was caught by Cardinals third baseman Todd Zeile behind the bag for out number one. Andy Van Slyke's slow roller to the Cardinals' Andres Galarraga at first moved Bonds to third, and first baseman Orlando Merced walked to put runners at the corners. But catcher Mike LaValliere's popup was caught by Cardinals second baseman Geronimo Pena to end the inning.

In the fourth, third baseman Steve Buechele drew a leadoff walk, Right fielder Cecil Espy singled to right center to put two men on. Jose Lind bounced into a force play, which eliminated Espy but moved Buechele to third. Reliever Tim Wakefield struck out swinging, and Bonds took a called strike to retire the side,

In the seventh, Bonds struck out swinging.

In the ninth, he struck out swinging again to end the game.

Now let's check out the rest of the game action:

In the top of the fourth with the Pirates leading 1-0, center fielder Ray Lankford hit Walk's first-pitch fastball into the seats in left field for a home run to tie the game at one. It was Lankford's twentieth home run of the year, and it traveled an estimated 373 feet. (Left field is 335 feet away from home plate at Three Rivers Stadium.)

The inning continued, as right fielder Felix Jose walked, then stole second. Left fielder Brian Jordan struck out swinging for out number one, and Galarraga bounced to Lind at second for the second out, with Jose moving to third. Catcher Tom Pagnozzi was next, and he stroked a single to left that brought Jose home and gave the Cards a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Jose led off with a base hit to left center. Jordan's liner was speared by Buechele for the first out, but Jose stole second. Galarraga popped to Bell at short for the second out, but Pagnozzi lined a base hit to right. Jose scored, and the Redbirds led 3-1,

In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Buechele hit a fly ball down the left field line that carried over the wall for a home run, his tenth of the year, to cut the St. Louis lead to 3-2. There was no further scoring.

Final totals: Cardinals 3-7-1, Pirates 2-6-0.

W- Olivares (10-9)
S- L. Smith (44)
L- Walk (12-9)

HR- STL: Lankford (20)
PIT: Bonds (38), Buechele (10)

Note: Lankford also hit a home run in the actual game.

DW- Mason (4-7)
DS- Patterson (8)
DL- Worrell (5-2)

LHR- PIT: Merced (4), Clark (1)

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Pirates: 97-65
Expos: 86-76- 11 GB
Cardinals: 84-78- 13 GB
Cubs: 78-84- 19 GB
Mets: 72-90- 25 GB
Phillies: 70-92- 27 GB

Before we get to Bonds, let's update Van Slyke's batting average. He was 0 for 4 in both the sim and the actual game, so he's still batting .325, which means he's third in the National League, four points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

Now let's get to Barry:

He was two for five with a home run. His current batting average is .316 (162-512) with thirty-eight home runs and 112 runs batted in.

He's still sixth in the National League batting race, one point behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn for fifth.

He's third in the major league home run race, four behind the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

He's tied for fourth in the major league RBI race with the White Sox' George Bell and the Indians' Albert Belle. The White Sox' Frank Thomas is third with 115.

He now has thirty-eight doubles, which is good for sixth in the National League, one behind a tie for fifth between the Braves' Terry Pendleton and the Expos' Marquis Grissom. Lankford lost a double from the actual game, which makes it a three-way tie. (Note: Lankford and Grissom's totals are unofficial.)

His on-base percentage is .462. He leads the majors by twenty-three points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage has risen to .633. He leads the majors by forty-eight points over McGwire.

His OPS is 1.095. He leads the majors by 121 points over Thomas.

He's scored 121 runs, which leads the majors by six over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

Next: Game 3 between the Cardinals and the Pirates on Wednesday, June 24 at Three Rivers. Bob Tewksbury will start for the Cardinals, while Doug Drabek gets the ball for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Wednesday, June 24, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Cardinals in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Bob Tewksbury will pitch for the Cardinals, while Doug Drabek heads to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Cecil Espy did in real life. The Cardinals won the actual game, 4-1.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he popped up to the Cardinals' Geronimo Pena at second.

In the third, Jose Lind beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single, but he was forced by Drabek, Bonds popped up to the Cardinals' Tim Jones at short, and Jay Bell's fly to left ended the inning.

In the sixth, Bonds drew a leadoff walk. Bell struck out swinging for out number one, but Van Slyke slapped a base hit past Tewksbury and up the middle to put runners at the corners. but first baseman Orlando Merced grounded into a 3-6-3 inning-ending double play.

In the eighth with the Cardinals leading 5-1, Espy batted for Drabek and beat out a grounder to short for a leadoff infield single. Bonds lined a base hit to right center that put runners at the corners. Bell popped to short for the first out, but Van Slyke stroked a single to right center that scored Espy and cut the St. Louis lead to 5-2. Bonds moved to third om the hit. Merced's fly to right center was caught by Ray Lankford for the second out, but Bonds sped home to make it 5-3.

In the ninth, third baseman Steve Buechele led off with a lined single to right. Mike LaValliere popped up the first pitch he saw in front of third base, but the Cardinals' Todd Zeile had to go into foul territory to make the catch for out number one. Lind's single to center moved Buechele to third, but John Wehner (batting for reliever Bob Patterson) struck out swinging for out number two.

Bonds was next, and he lined a 2-0 curveball from Cardinals reliever Cris Carpenter over the wall in center for a three-run homer to cut the Cardinals' lead to 7-6. It was Barry's thirty-ninth home run of the year and career homer Number 855, He's now thirteen home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

Cardinals manager Joe Torre called on closer Lee Smith to face Bell, and he needed just one pitch to retire Jay on a fly to Lankford in left center and end the game. Our final: Cardinals 7, Pirates 6.

Now let's check out the rest of the game action:

In the top of the first, Pena stroked a leadoff single to left, then stole second. Zeile's bouncer to Lind at second moved Pena to third, and Lankford walked to put two men on. Right fielder Felix Jose forced Lankford, which allowed Pena to score and put the Redbirds in front 1-0.

In the top of the sixth with one out, Zeile singled to right center. Lankford was hit on the forearm by a pitch to put two men on, and a passed ball charged to LaValliere moved the runners up. Jose followed with a bloop that fell on the right field line and rolled into the corner. Zeile and Lankford scored, and the Redbirds led 3-0.

In the bottom of the seventh with one out, Buechele hit Tewksbury's first-pitch curveball over the center field wall for a home run to put the Pirates on the board. It was Buechele's eleventh homer of the year, and it traveled an estimated 432 feet. Center field is 400 feet away from home plate at Three Rivers Stadium. The Cardinals led 3-1 after seven.

In the top of the eighth, Pena led off with a lined single to left. Zeile struck out swinging for the first out, but Lankford lined a base hit to right center to put runners at the corners. Jose forced Lankford, which allowed Pena to score the fourth St. Louis run. After Jose stole second, left fielder Brian Jordan's bloop fell in shallow left field to score Jose and extend the Cardinals' lead to 5-1.

In the top of the ninth with two out and the Cardinals leading 5-3. Bernard Gilkey batted for reliever Mike Perez and drew a walk, then stole second. Pena walked to put two men on, and Zeile brought them both home by whacking a double off the wall in right. We headed to the bottom of the ninth with the Redbirds leading 7-3.

Final totals: Cardinals 7-9-0, Pirates 6-12-0.

Pitchers' records remain the same,

S- L. Smith (45)

HR- PIT: Bonds (39), Buechele (11)

Before we get to Barry, let's calculate Van Slyke's batting average. He was two for five in the actual game and two for three in the sim. By our unofficial count, he's currently batting .326 (200 -614), which is good for third in the National League, three points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

Now to Mr. Bonds:

Barry was two for four plus a walk with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBIs. He's now batting .318 (164-516) with thirty-nine home runs and 115 runs batted in.

He's fifth in the National League batting race, five points behind the Reds' Bip Roberts for fourth.

He tied for third in the major league RBI race with the White Sox' Frank Thomas. The Blue Jays' Joe Carter is second with 119.

He's third in the major league home run race, three behind the Athletics' Mark McGwire for second.

He's walked 141 times, which leads the majors by nineteen over Thomas.

He's scored 123 runs, which leads the majors by eight over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He has eighty-two singles.

His on-base percentage is .463. He leads the majors by twenty-four points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .638. He leads the majors by fifty-three points over McGwire,

His OPS is 1.101. He leads the majors by 126 points over Thomas.

Next: A game that I forgot to play the first time I went through the schedule, as the Bucs battle the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, July 1. Zane Smith will pitch for the Pirates, while Mark Clark heads to the mound for the Cardinals.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Wednesday, July 1, 1992, and the Pirates are taking on the Cardinals in the third and final game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Zane Smith will start for the Pirates, while Mark Clark gets the ball for the Cardinals. Bonds is in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 1-0.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the second, he flew to Cardinals center fielder Brian Jordan in deep right center.

In the fifth, he struck out swinging,

In the seventh, first baseman Orlando Merced led off with a single to right. Bonds followed with a double off the wall in center, Jordan played the carom off the wall expertly and threw a strike to the plate to keep Merced at third. Clark ended his day by getting the next three outs in order: catcher Mike LaValliere popped up to Todd Zeile at third, third baseman Jeff King's foul fly was caught by Cards' first baseman Andres Galarraga near the first base dugout, and Jose Lind was retired on a comebacker to the mound.

In the ninth with one out, Bonds lined a 1-1 fastball from Cardinals closer Lee Smith over the right field wall for his fortieth home run of the year and career homer Number 856. He's now twelve home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh. Final score: Cardinals 4, Pirates 1.

Now let's take a look at the rest pf the game action:

In the bottom of the first with one out, shortstop Ozzie Smith beat out a grounder to third for an infield single. Right fielder Felix Jose lined a base hit to left center to put runners at the corners, and Ozzie scored on Zeile's grounder to second, The Cards led 1-0 after one.

In the bottom of the fifth, left fielder Bernard Gilkey beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single. Ozzie flew to Andy Van Slyke in shallow right center for out number on, but Jose hit a bloop that rolled down the right field line for a double. Pirates right fielder Cecil Espy cut the ball off before it could roll into the corner, but Gilkey scored to give the Cards a 2-0 lead. Zeile followed with a single to right center that brought Jose home to make it 3-0,

In the bottom of the eighth, Zeile led off by smacking a 2-2 curveball from Pirates reliever Bob Patterson down the left field line and over the wall for his eighth home run of the year to give the Redbirds a 4-0 lead.

I accidentally deleted the sim before I could record either the totals or Van Slyke's stats. I have to keep track of Andy's batting average because Bonds is behind him in the batting race, so since none of his at-bats were documented, he'll remain (very unofficially) at .326. which is three points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

W- Clark (4-9)
S- L. Smith (46)
L- Z. Smith (9-6)

HR- PIT: Bonds (40)
STL: Gilkey (8)

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Pirates: 96-66
Expos: 86-76- 10 GB
Cardinals: 85-77- 11 GB
Cubs: 78-84- 18 GB
Mets: 72-90- 24 GB
Phillies: 70-92- 26 GB

Bonds was two for four with a home run. He's currently batting .317 (165-520) with forty home runs and 116 runs batted in.

He's third in the major league home run race, two behind the Athletics' Mark McGwire for second

He's third in the major league RBI race. three behind the Blue Jays' Joe Carter.

He's tied for fifth in the National League batting race with the Padres' Tony Gwynn,

He's scored 124 runs, which leads the majors by nine over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He has thirty-nine doubles, which puts him in an unofficial four-way tie for fourth in the National League with the Cardinals' Ray Lankford, the Braves' Terry Pendleton, and the Expos' Marquis Grissom.

His on-base percentage is .464. He leads the majors by twenty-five points over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His slugging percentage has risen to .644. He leads the majors by fifty-nine points over McGwire.

His OPS is 1.108. He leads the majors by 133 points over Thomas.

Next: I'm going to do the first game of this series on Monday, June 29. Bob Walk will start for the Pirates, while Bob Tewksbury gets the ball for the Cardinals.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Monday, June 29, 1992, and the Pirates are opening a three-game series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Bob Walk is pitching for the Pirates, while Bob Tewksbury goes to the mound for the Cardinals. Bonds in in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Cecil Espy did in real life. The Cardinals won the actual game, 3-1.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he hit Tewksbury's 1-1 fastball over the wall in left center for a home run to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was his forty-first home run of the year and career homer Number 857. He's now eleven home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

In the third, he grounded to first.

In the fifth, he popped to Tim Jones at short.

In the seventh, he popped to Gerald Perry at first.

In the ninth, third baseman Steve Buchele drew a leadoff walk. Catcher Mike LaValliere singled to right center to put two men on. Jose Lind flew to left center for the first out, and Espy (batting for reliever Roger Mason) forced LaValliere. A walk to Bonds loaded the bases, and Cardinals closer Lee Smith was called on to dace Jay Bell. Jay was fooled on the first pitch and popped weakly to short. Jones made the catch, and the game was over with the bases still loaded. Final score: Cardinals 5, Pirates 1,

The Cards scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, second baseman Craig Wilson walked. Catcher Rich Gedman doubled to right, which put runners at second and third. Geronimo Pena batted for Tewksbury, but he flew to Andy Van Slyke in right center for out number one. Left fielder Milt Thompson was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring Jones to the plate.

Jones' at-bat lasted ten pitches before he finally walked on a 3-2 count to force Wilson home and tie the game at one. Center fielder Ray Lankford was next, and his fly to right dropped on the warning track and hopped over the wall for a book-rule double. Gedman and Thompson scored, and the Cardinals led 3-1. Pirates manager Jim Leyland excused reliever Tim Wakefield and brought Bob Patterson in to face right fielder Felix Jose, who lined the first pitch he saw into left field for a single. Jones and Lankford scored to extend the St. Louis lead to 5-1.

Final totals: Cardinals 5-9-1, Pirates 1-8-0.

S- L. Smith (47)
L- Wakefield (8-2)

HR- PIT: Bonds (41)

DL- Cole (0-1)

Bonds was one for four plus a walk with a home run. He's currently batting .317 (166-524) with forty-one home runs and 117 runs batted in.

He's third in the major league home run race, one behind the Athletics' Mark McGwire for second.

He's third in the major league RBI race, two behind the Blue Jays' Joe Carter for second.

He's tied for fifth in the National League batting race with the Padres' Tony Gwynn,

He's scored 125 runs, which leads the majors by ten over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's walked 142 times, which leads the major leagues by twenty over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His on-base percentage is .463. He leads the majors by twenty-four points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .647. He leads the majors by sixty-two points over McGwire.

His OPS is 1.110. He leads the majors by 135 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. Van Slyke was 0 for 4 in the actual game and one for four in the sim. His unofficial batting average is .327 (201-614), which is third in the National League, two points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

Next: The Pirates open a three-game series against the Expos at Olympic Stadium on Friday, June 26, Zane Smith will start for the Pirates, while Dennis Martinez heads to the mound for the Expos.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, June 26, and the Pirates are taking on the Expos in the first game of a three-game series at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Zane Smith will pitch for the Pirates, while Dennis Martinez goes to the mound for the Expos. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Cecil Espy did in real life. The Expos won the actual game, 6-2.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he popped up to Expos first baseman Tim Wallach.

In the third with two out, he walked, stole second, and moved to third when Martinez's pickoff throw went into center field. Jay Bell hit a fly to deep left that was caught by Moises Alou on the left field line to retire the side.

In the sixth, Bonds drew a leadoff walk, then stole second. Bell's fly to shallow left center was caught by Expos center fielder Marquis Grissom for out number one. Andy Van Slyke was hit on the wrist by a pitch to put two men on, and he teamed with Bonds to pull off a double steal to put runners at second and third, First baseman Orlando Merced was next, and he lined a double off the wall in right, which turned out to be the Pirates' only hit of the day. Bonds and Van Slyke scored, and the Bucs led 2-0.

In the eighth, Bonds grounded to second.

Here's how the Expos scored their runs:

In the bottom of the sixth with two out, Alou doubled to left. Grissom followed with a base hit to left that cashed in Alou and cut the Pirates' lead to 2-1. After Grissom stole second, right fielder Larry Walker lined a base hit to right that scored Grissom to tie the game at two,

In the bottom of the ninth, Wallach led off with a base hit to right center against Pirates reliever Roger Mason. Catcher Gary Carter was hit in the elbow by a pitch to put two men on, but Mason got the next two outs, as shortstop Spike Owen popped to Merced at first and third baseman Bret Barberie flew to Van Slyke in right center. Rookie Wil Cordero was the Expos' last hope, as he was called on to bat for reliever Jeff Fassero in his major league debut. He took a strike, then turned on Mason's next pitch and smacked into right field for a single. Wallach scored easily, and the Expos won the game 3-2.

Final totals: Expos 3-8-1, Pirates 2-1-0.

W- Fassero (9-7)
L- Mason (4-8)

DW- D. Martinez (16-10)
DS- Rojas (9)
DL- Z. Smith (9-5)

Let's begin our look at the stats by looking at Van Slyke's batting average. He was 0 for 3 in both the sim and the actual game, which gives him an unofficial batting average of .327 (201-614), which is third in the National League, two points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

Now to Bonds:

He was hitless in two official at-bats plus two walks with a run scored and three stolen bases. He's currently batting .316 (166-526) with forty-one home runs and 117 runs batted in.

He's sixth in the National League batting race, one point behind the

He's walked 144 times, which leads the majors by twenty-two over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

He's scored 126 runs, which leads the majors by eleven over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's now stolen forty-seven bases, which moves him into second place in the National League behind Grissom. Marquis stole a base tonight, which gives him at least eighty-two for the year.

His on-base percentage is .462. He leads the majors by twenty-three points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage has dropped to .637, He still leads the majors by fifty-two points over McGwire.

His OPS is 1.099. He leads the majors by 124 points over Thomas.

Note: I've credited Bonds with one too many hits the last couple of days. I've gone through the affected posts and corrected the batting averages by hand; the various percentages are correct as of this post.

Next: Game 2 between the Pirates and the Expos on Saturday. June 27. Bob Walk will start for the Pirates, while Mark Gardner goes to the mound for the Expos.

Thoughts?

 

[Alberta89]

So, are you going to keep going until Bonds gets number 869? Or will you keep going past that?

Also, he could have kept playing for 2008 if any GMs had been willing to sign him.

 

[stratonapba]

So, are you going to keep going until Bonds gets number 869? Or will you keep going past that?

Also, he could have kept playing for 2008 if any GMs had been willing to sign him.

Probably he will stay for another year with the Giants.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Right now, the plan is to stop at 869. I reserve the right to change my mind if II can think of another direction to go, though.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Saturday, June 27, 1992, and the Pirates are facing the Expos in the second game of a three-game series at Olympic Stadium. Bob Walk will start for the Pirates, while Mark Gardner takes the ball for the Expos. Bonds is in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 12-4.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, right fielder Cecil Espy drew a leadoff walk, then stole second. Jay Bell stroked a single to left center that scored Espy and gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Andy Van Slyke struck out swinging for out number one, but first baseman Orlando Merced walked to put two men on. Bonds' fly to center was caught at the wall by Marquis Grissom for the second out, with Bell moving to third. Third baseman Steve Buechele walked to load the bases, but catcher Mike LaValliere grounded to Archi Cianfrocco at first to retire the side.

In the third with two out, Merced lashed a double into the right center power alley. Bonds was walked intentionally to get to Buechele, who grounded to short to end the inning.

In the sixth with the score tied at one, Merced drew a leadoff walk. Bonds was next, and he hit Gardner's first-pitch fastball over the center field wall for a two-run homer, his forty-second of the year. It was also career homer Number 858. He's now ten home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh. The Pirates led 3-1 after five and a half.

In the seventh, Bell led off by beating out a bouncer to short for an infield single. Van Slyke took a called third strike, and Merced flew to Grissom in right center for out number two. Bonds walked to keep the inning alive. but he was forced by Buechele to retire the side.

In the ninth, Espy was hit in the right knee by a pitch, then stole second. Bell struck out swinging for the first out, but Van Slyke bashed a triple off the top of the left field wall. Espy scored, and the Buccos led 4-1. Merced walked on four pitches to put runners at the corners, but Bonds hit into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play,

The Expos scored their only run in the bottom of the fourth. . Left fielder Moises Alou drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on Grissom's grounder to second, and moved to third on a bouncer to second by right fielder Larry Walker. Third baseman Tim Wallach was next, and he lined a single to left that cashed in Alou to tie the game at one.

Final totals: Pirates 4-9-0, Expos 1-5-0.

W- Walk (13-9)
S- Belinda (24)
L- Gardner (10-13)

HR- PIT: Bonds (42)

DW- Jeff M. Robinson (2-1)

LHR- PIT: Buechele (10), Merced (3)

Let's begin our stats portion by with Van Slyke. He was four for five in the actual game and one for five in the sim. According to our unofficial calculations, he's now batting .322 (198-614). He's now fifth in the National League batting race, one point behind the Reds' Bip Roberts for fourth,

Now to Bonds:

He was one for three plus two walks with a two-run homer. He's currently batting .318 (168-529) with forty-two home runs and 119 runs batted in,

He's sixth in the National League batting race, four points behind Van Slyke for fifth,

He's tied for second in the major league home run race with the Athletics' Mark McGwire. The Rangers' Juan Gonzalez leads with forty-three,

He's tied for second in the major league RBI race with the Blue Jays' Joe Carter. The Tigers' Cecil Fielder is first with 124.

He's scored 127 runs, which leads the majors by twelve over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's walked 146 times, thirty-three of them intentional, He leads the majors by twenty-four over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His on-base percentage is .464. He leads the majors by twenty-five points over Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .648. He leads the majors by sixty-five points over McGwire.

His OPS is 1.112. He leads the majors by 137 points over Thomas.

Note: I had to un-fix the changes I made yesterday. All averages and percentages are correct as of now.

Next: Game 3 between the Pirates and the Expos on Sunday, June 28. Randy Tomlin starts for the Pirates, while Brian Barnes gets the ball for the Expos.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Sunday, June 28, 1992, and the Pirates are facing the Expos in the third game of a three-game series at Olympic Stadium. Randy Tomlin pitches for the Pirates, while Brian Barnes heads to the mound for the Expos. Bonds is in left field and will bat fourth, as his replacement Lloyd McClendon did in real life. The Expos won the actual game, 9-0,

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the second, he flew to right center.

In the third with one out, Jay Bell walked. First baseman John Wehner singled to center to put two men on, Bonds' fly to left was caught at the wall by the Expos' Moises Alou, with Bell moving to third. Second baseman Jeff King's fly to left center retired the side,

In the fifth with the Expos leading 4-0, Tomlin drew a leadoff walk. Right fielder Cecil Espy lined a single to left to put two men on, but he was forced by Bell. Tomlin went to third on the out and scored the Bucs' first run when Wehner forced Espy. Bonds' fly to right ended the inning.

In the seventh with the Expos leading 6-3, Wehner drew a leadoff walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch charged to reliever Bill Sampen and to third on Bonds' bloop single to right. Sampen got the first two outs when King flew to left and third baseman Steve Buechele flew to center. but catcher Don Slaught lined a single to left that scored Wehner and cut the Montreal lead to 6-4.

In the ninth with the Expos leading 10-4. Bonds flew to right. King flew to Marquis Grissom in left center for the second out. but Buechele kept the Bucs alive with a base hit to left center. Slaught smacked a double off the wall in center to score Buechele and cut the Bucs' deficit to 10-5, but center fielder Gary Redus flew to his counterpart Grissom to end the game. Our final: Expos 10, Pirates 5.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the bottom of the first, second baseman Delino DeShields led off with a single to right. Grissom singled to left to put two men on, and Alou walked to load the bases. Right fielder Larry Walker was next, and he ripped a double into the left center power alley that cleared the bases to give the Expos a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third with two out, Walker doubled to center. First baseman Tim Wallach followed with a base hit to right that brought Walker home and extended the Montreal lead to 4-0.

In the top of the sixth with one out and the Expos leading 4-1, Buechele walked. Slaught popped to Spike Owen at short for the second out, but Redus walked to put two men on. Andy Van Slyke batted for Tomlin and beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single to load the bases. Espy was next, and he stroked a base hit to left that scored Buechele and Redus to cut the Montreal lead to 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out. Owen walked. He moved to second on third baseman Bret Barberie's grounder to his counterpart Buechele. Catcher Rick Cerone walked to put two men on, and Ivan Calderon came off the bench to bat for reliever Jeff Fassero, He hit a high fly ball to left that looked like a sure home run off the bat but hit off the top of the left field wall. Owen and Cerone scored easily to make it 6-3 Expos, and Calderon ended up at third with a pinch-hit triple. He was stranded when DeShields tapped to first to retire the side.

I lost the sim after this, The cursor on my computer tends to go every which way, and this time it closed all my windows before I had a chance to save. Luckily, I remembered the final totals and stats. The Expos won 10-5 thanks in part to eighth-inning home runs by Wallach and DeShields.

Final totals: Expos 10-12-0, Pirates 5-10-0.

Pitchers' totals remain the same.

HR- MTL: Wallach (10), DeShields (9)

LHR- MTL: Walker 2 (21), Alou (8)

Bonds was one for five with a bloop single. He's currently batting .316 (169-534) with forty-two home runs and 119 runs batted in,

He's seventh in the National League batting race, one point behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn for sixth.

He has eighty-three singles.

His on-base percentage is .462. He leads the majors by twenty-three points over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .644. He leads the majors by sixty-one points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.106. He leads the majors by 131 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. Van Slyke didn't play in the actual game but was one for one in the sim. His unofficial batting average is .324 (199-615), which is good for third in the National League batting race, five points behind the Phillies' John Kruk foe second.

Next: The Pirates visit the Mets at Shea Stadium on Tuesday, August 11. Doug Drabek will start for the Pirates, while Dwight Gooden pitches for the Mets.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, August 11, 1992, and the Pirates are taking on the New York Mets in the second game of a three-game series at Shea Stadium in New York. Doug Drabek will pitch for the Pirates, while Dwight Gooden goes to the mound for the Mets. Bonds is batting sixth; he'll start the game in left field, then move to center field in the third inning, as his replacement Cecil Espy did in real life. The Mets won the actual game, 2-0.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the second, right fielder Lloyd McClendon led off with a single to left center. Third baseman Jeff King flew to Vince Coleman in center for out number one, but Bonds walked to put two men on. Catcher Don Slaught was next, and he lined a double into the left center power alley. McClendon and Bonds scored, and the Pirates led 2-0,

In the fourth, Bonds drew a leadoff walk, but he was erased when Slaught grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Jose Lind's shallow fly to Coleman in right center retired the side.

In the sixth with one out, McClendon beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single. King walked to put two men on, but Bonds lined the first pitch he saw right back at Gooden for the second out. Slaught's grounder to short ended the inning.

In the eighth, King lined a leadoff single up the middle. Bonds struck out swinging for out number one, but Slaught walked on four pitches to put two men on, Lind flew to Colemam in center for out number two while the runners held, and Espy batted for reliever Bob Patterson and stroked a single to right center that scored King and extended the Pirates' lead to 7-4. Left fielder Gary Varsho, who has entered the game after Bonds moved to center in the third because of Alex Cole's hamstring pull, grounded to second to retire the side.

In the ninth, Bell led off with a bloop single to left, Wehner walked to put two men on, but Mets reliever Lee Guterman got the next three outs in order: McClendon struck out swinging, King forced Wehner, and Bonds popped up to Bill Pecota at second.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the third with the Pirates leading 2-0, Cole walked, then stole second. He pulled a hamstring while sliding, and Varsho ran for him. Bell blasted a triple into the right field corner, which brought Varsho home and gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead. Wehner lifted a fly ball to left that was caught by the Mets' Deryl Boston, but Bell scored easily from third, and the Bucs led 4-0.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out, Boston walked. First baseman Eddie Murray struck out swinging for out number two, but right fielder Mackey Sasser's bloop single to right center moved Boston to third. Pecota was next, and he whacked Drabek's 1-0 curveball down the left field line and over the fence for a three-run homer, his third of the year. After four, it was Pirates 4, Mets 3.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Boston singled to left center. Murray's single to left put runners at the corners. and Sasser hit a fly ball to left that was dropped by McClendon. Boston scored on the error, and we were tied at four.

In the top of the seventh, Jose Lind led off with a base hit to left center. Andy Van Slyke batted for Drabek and beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single to put two men one, but the runners had to hold while Varsho grounded to second. Bell's bouncer to second moved the runners up, but it was also the second out. Wehner was next, and his single to left scored Lind and Van Slyke to give the Bucs a 6-4 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth with two out, Murray singled to left. Sasser was hit on the forearm by a Roger Mason fastball, and there were two men on. Pecota followed with a base hit to right that scored Murray to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 7-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, Bobby Bonilla batted for Guetterman and drew a leadoff walk, Coleman walked to put two men on, and McClendon committed his second error of the game when he let third baseman Chris Donnels' fly ball bounce off of his glove. Donnels reached, and the bases were loaded.

The Bucs caught a break when Boston tapped lightly to new first baseman Gary Redus, who threw a strike to the plate to nail the incoming Bonilla. Murray was next, and closer Stan Belinda got ahead two strikes. But his 0-2 slider didn't break properly, and Murray smacked it over the left field wall and on toward LaGuardia Airport for a game-winning grand slam, his seventeenth homer of the year. Final score: Mets 9, Pirates 7,

Final totals: Mets 9-9-1, Pirates 7-11-2.

W- Guetterman (4-4)
L- Belinda (6-5)

HR- NYM: Murray (17), Pecota (3)

DW- Hillman (1-2)
DS- Franco (14)
DL- Drabek (16-9)

Bonds was hitless in three at-bats plus two walks with a run scored. He's currently batting .315 (169-537) with forty-two home runs and 119 runs batted in,

He's scored 128 runs, which leads the majors by thirteen over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's walked 148 times, which leads the majors by twenty-six over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

He's seventh in the National League batting race, two points behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn.

His on-base percentage is .462. He leads the majors by twenty-three points over Thomas,

His slugging percentage is .641. He leads the majors by fifty-eight points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.103. He leads the majors by 128 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. Van Slyke didn't play in the actual game, but he got a hit as a pinch-hitter in the sim. According to out unofficial calculations, he's currently batting .325 (200-616), which is third in the National League, four points behind the Phillies' John Kruk.

Next: Bonds' final road game as a Pirate, as the Bucs battle the Chicago Cubs on Monday, September 28 at Wrigley Field. Doug Drabek will again start for the Pirares, while Shawn Boskie goes to the hill for the Cubs.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Monday. September 28, 1992, and the Pirates are taking on the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Doug Drabek will start for the Pirates, while Shawn Boskie goes to the mound for the Cubs. Bonds in in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement Al Martin did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 10-3.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first with one out, Jay Bell singled to left, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Andy Van Slyke kept the inning alive with a single to right, and Orlando Merced lined a single to left center that moved Van Slyke to third. Bonds was next, but his fly to shallow right center was caught by Cubs center fielder Dwight Smith to end the inning.

In the third, Drabek lined a leadoff single to left. Varsho flew to Andre Dawson in shallow right for the first out, and Bell popped up to short for the second out. Van Slyke was next, and he smacked Boskie's 1-1 changeup over the right field wall for a two-run homer to give the Bucs a 2-0 lead. It was his eighteenth home run of the year. Merced hit a grounder to second that took a bad hop and hit off of Ryne Sandberg's glove; Orlando reached on the error, Bonds was hit by a Boskie fastball just below the knee, the sixth time that he's been hit in 1992. Second baseman John Wehner's shallow fly to center ended the inning with runners at first and second.

In the fifth with the score tied at two, Bell led off by beating out a bouncer to third for an infield single. Van Slyke singled to left to put two men on, but Merced flew to Derrick May in shallow left center for out number one.

Bonds was next, and he ended Boskie's day by hitting his 1-1 curveball into the second row of bleachers in right center field for a three-run homer, his forty-third of the year and career homer Number 859, He's now nine homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh, The Pirates led 5-2 after four and a half. Estimated home run distance: 380 feet. (Left center field is 353 feet away from home plate at Wrigley Field.)

In the seventh, Merced walked with one out. Bonds struck out swinging, and Wehner's bouncer to short retired the side.

In the ninth, Bonds flew to Smith in center to end the game.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the bottom of the third with the Pirates leading 2-0, shortstop Alex Arias lined a leadoff single to center. Boskie bunted him over to second, Smith struck out swinging for out number two, but Sandberg blasted a triple into the right field corner to score Arias and cut the Pirates' lead to 2-1.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out, catcher Rick Wilkins was it in the knee by a pitch. He was forced by third baseman Luis Salazar. Arias was next, and his bloop fell in left center for a double that scored Wilkins and tied the game at two.

In the bottom of the fifth with the Pirates leading 5-2, Smith led off by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single. Sandberg hit a fly ball to left that Bonds should have caught, but Barry got a late start on the ball and tried for a basket catch, only for the ball to bounce out of his glove for an error, Drabek got the next two outs, as first baseman Mark Grace flew to Van Slyke in shallow center and right fielder Andre Dawson struck out swinging. That brought up Wilkins, who turned on Drabek's 1-1 hanging curveball and clubbed it over the wall in center for a grand slam that gave the Cubs a 6-5 lead. It was his ninth home run of the year.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Sandberg smacked a 1-1 palmball from Pirates reliever Bob Patterson over the center field wall for his twenty-seventh home run of the year to extend the Cubs' lead to 7-5. Grace grounded to Bell at short for out number two, but Dawson kept the inning alive with a bloop single to right. May walked to put two men on, and Wilkins stroked a base hit to right center that scored Dawson to give the Cubs an 8-5 lead. May moved to third on the hit and scored the Cubs' ninth run on Salazar's single to left.

In the bottom of the seventh with two out, Sandberg hit reliever Jeff Robinson's 1-1 pitch into the second row of bleachers in left center for his second home run of the game and twenty-eighth of the year. The Cubs led 10-5 after seven. The ball landed just to the left of the spot where Bonds' homer landed earlier, and it traveled an estimated distance of 379 feet.

In the top of the eighth with two out, Alex Cole batted for Robinson and walked on five pitches. Varsho followed by hitting a 1-1 fastball from Cubs reliever Paul Assenmacher down the left field line and over the wall for a two-run homer, his third of the year, to establish our final: Cubs 10. Pirates 7.

W- Bullinger (3-7)
S- Scanlan (15)
L- Drabek (16-10)

HR- PIT: Bonds (43), Van Slyke (17), Varsho (3)
CHC: Sandberg 2 (28), Wilkins (9)

DW- Wakefield (7-2)

LHR- CHC: Sandberg (27)

Note: Varsho also hit a home run in the actual game.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Pirates: 95-67
Expos: 86-76- 9 GB
Cardinals: 85-77- 10 GB
Cubs: 79-83- 16 GB
Mets: 72-90- 23 GB
Phillies: 70-92- 25 GB

Let's begin our stats section with Van Slyke's unofficial batting average. He was one for four in the actual game but three for five in the sim. He's currently batting .327 (202-617), which is good for third in the National League batting race, two points behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second.

Now to Bonds. He was one for four with a home run and three RBIs. He's currently batting .314 (170-541) with forty-three home runs and 122 runs batted in.

He's tied for the major league home run lead with the Rangers' Juan Gonzalez.

He's second in the major league RBI race, two behind the Tigers' Cecil Fielder.

He's seventh in the National League batting race, three points behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn.

He's scored 129 runs. He leads the majors by fourteen over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

He's been hit by a pitch six times.

His on-base percentage is .462. He leads the majors by twenty-three points over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His slugging percentage is .643. He leads the majors by sixty points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.105. He leads the majors by 130 points over Thomas.

Next: The first of Bonds' final two games as a Pirate. They'll take on the Cincinnati Reds at Three Rivers Stadium on Thursday, July 2. Jose Rijo will pitch for the Reds, while Bob Walk gets the ball for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Thursday, July 1, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Jose Rijo will start for the Reds, while Bob Walk goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Reds won the actual game, 2-1.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he took a called third strike.

In the third, he struck out swinging.

In the sixth, he was called out on strikes again,

In the eighth with one out and the Reds leading 4-1, Jay Bell batted for reliever Roger Mason and singled to left center. Bonds was next, and he whacked Rijo's first-pitch fastball into the third row of seats in left center for a two-run homer to cut the Reds' lead to 4-3. It was his forty-fourth home run of the year and career homer Number 860. He's now eight homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh. There was no further scoring.

The estimated distance on Bonds' home run was 405 feet. (Left center field is 375 feet from home plate at Three Rivers Stadium.) Bonds received a ninety-second standing ovation from the sellout crowd of nearly sixty thousand, and he took two curtain calls before he finally went into the dugout.

Now let's check out the rest of the game action:

In the top of the third, right fielder Paul O'Neill led off with a single to left. First baseman Hal Morris singled to right to put two men on, and third baseman Chris Sabo lined another single to right that scored O'Neill to give the Reds a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out, Andy Van Slyke slapped a ball past Rijo's glove and into center field for a single. He moved to second on first baseman Orlando Merced's tapper to his counterpart Morris and scored on catcher Mike LaValliere's lined single up the middle. We were tied at one after four.

In the top of the sixth, left fielder Reggie Sanders led off with a fly ball to left center that dropped on the warning track and hopped over the wall for a book-rule double. Walk got the next two outs when catcher Joe Oliver and Rijo each bounced to Steve Buechele at third, but second baseman Bip Roberts walked to keep the inning alive. Center fielder Dave Martinez was next, and he lined a base hit to left center that scored Sanders to give the Reds a 2-1 lead.

Pirates manager Jim Leyland excused Walk and brought Bob Patterson in from the bullpen to face shortstop Barry Larkin. The strategy didn't work, as Larkin turned on Patterson's first offering and served it down the left field line for a double. Roberts and Martinez scored, and the Reds led 4-1.

Final totals: Reds 4-7-0, Pirates 3-5-0.

L- Walk (13-10)

HR- PIT: Bonds (44)

DL- Jeff M. Robinson (2-0)

LHR- PIT: Clark

Bonds was one for four with a two-run homer. He's currently batting .314 (171-545) with forty-four home runs and 124 runs batted in.

He's taken over the major league home run lead. The Rangers' Juan Gonzalez is second with forty-three.

He's tied for the major league RBI lead with the Tigers' Cecil Fielder.

He's seventh in the National League batting race, three points behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn.

He's scored 130 runs. He leads the majors by fifteen over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

His on-base percentage has slipped to .460. He leads the majors by twenty-one points over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

His slugging percentage has risen to .646. He leads the majors by sixty-three points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His OPS is 1.106. He leads the majors by 131 points over Thomas.

Now it's bonus time. Van Slyke was one for three in the actual game and two for four in the sim. By our unofficial count, he's batting .328 (203-618), which is third in the National League batting race. one point behind the Phillies' John Kruk for second and two points behind the leader, Gary Sheffield of the Padres.

Next: Bonds' final game as a Pirate, which will come on Friday, July 2 against the Reds at Three Rivers. Tim Belcher will start for the Reds, while Randy Tomlin goes to the mound for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, July 3, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Reds in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Tim Belcher gets the start for the Reds, while Randy Tomlin takes the ball for the Pirates, Bonds in in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Reds won the actual game, 7-3.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first with the Reds already leading 1-0, he drew a leadoff walk. Jay Bell beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single to put two men on, but he was forced by Andy Van Slyke. First baseman Orlando Merced was next, and he banged a double off the wall in right. Bonds and Van Slyke scored, and the Bucs led 2-1.

In the second with two out, Bonds tripled off the top of the wall in right, less than a foot from the home run line. He was stranded when Bell flew to Billy Hatcher in shallow left to retire the side.

In the fourth with one out and the score tied at two, Tomlin helped his own cause with a double down the right field line. Bonds struck out swinging for out number two, but a wild pitch by Belcher moved Tomlin to third. Bell was next, and he smacked Belcher's 1-0 curveball over the left field wall for a two-run homer that extended the Pittsburgh lead to 4-1. It was Bell's eighth home run of the year.

In the sixth, Bonds was called out on strikes.

In the eighth, he struck out swinging.

Now let's check out the rest of the game action:

In the top of the first, center fielder Reggie Sanders led off with a double off the wall in center. He held at second while Hatcher was retired on a comebacker to Tomlin, but shortstop Barry Larkin lined a base hit to left center that scored Sanders to give the Reds a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third with two out and the Pirates leading 2-1, Hatcher lined a single to left. Larkin followed with a double into the right center power alley that scored Hatcher to tie the game at two.

In the top of the seventh with the Pirates leading 4-2, catcher Joe Oliver drew a leadoff walk. Second baseman Freddie Benavides flew to Gary Redus in right for the first out, but a wild pitch from Tomlin moved Oliver to second. Bip Roberts batted for Belcher and lashed a triple into the right field corner, which scored Oliver to bring the Reds within 4-3.

Tomlin's evening was over, as Bob Patterson came out of the Pirates bullpen to face Sanders. Reggie smacked Cowboy Bob's first pitch over Van Slyke's head in center for a double, which brought Roberts home to tie the game at four. Hatcher was next, and he made it three extra base hits in a row by lining a double off the left field wall. Sanders scored, and the Reds led 5-4.

In the top of the eighth with one out, first baseman Hal Morris singled to right. Oliver was next, and he lined Patterson's 1-1 curveball over the wall in right center for a two-run homer, his eleventh of the year, to give the Reds a 7-4 lead. There was no further scoring.

Final totals: Reds 7-15-0, Pirates 4-11-1.

W- Belcher (16-14)
S- Charlton (27)
L- Patterson (4-4)

HR- CIN: Oliver (11)
PIT: Bell (8)

LHR- CIN: Sabo (11)
PIT: Van Slyke (16)

Now to Bonds' stats:

He was one for four plus a walk with a run scored. His final batting average is .313 (172-549) with forty-four home runs and 124 runs batted in.

He finishes with six triples.

He finished with 149 walks, which led the majors by twenty-six over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

He was seventh in the National League batting race, four points behind the Padres' Tony Gwynn for sixth.

He scored 131 runs, which led the majors by sixteen over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

His final on-base percentage was .460. He led the majors by twenty-one points over Thomas.

His final slugging percentage was .647. He led the majors by sixty-four points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

His final OPS was 1.107. He led the majors by 132 points over Thomas.

He also led the majors in home runs, and he became the first player in history to have three seasons with at least forty home runs and at least forty stolen bases.

Bad news: For the fifth and final time, I forgot to do Van Slyke's batting average. Bonds had so many stats on a daily basis that I just wanted to get the post over with so people wouldn't get tired of reading and move on. I should have known how long the posts were going to be after the first one or two and left Van Slyke's batting average alone. Lesson learned for next time, I guess, Sorry, guys!

Next: We begin our look at the 1993 season, as Bonds returns to Candlestick Park for the Giants' clash with the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, June 26. Armando Reynoso will pitch for the Rockies, while Trevor Wilson gets the ball for the Giants.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I've decided to change course and finish some of the years that I've already started with Bonds in San Francisco.

We begin with the 1999 season, and our first game is a clash with the Florida Marlins at 3Com Park on Monday, April 19. Livan Hernandez will start for the Marlins, while Shawn Estes gets the ball for the Giants. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Stan Javier did in real life. The Giants won the actual game, 5-4.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he grounded to short.

In the third with one out, he grounded to second. Center fielder F.P. Santangelo walked to keep the inning alive, and right fielder Ellis Burks smacked Hernandez's 2-1 fastball over the wall in left for a two-run homer, his thirty-first of the year, to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.

In the fifth with the Giants leading 2-1., Estes led off with a double into the right center power alley. Bonds took a called third strike for out number one, but Santangelo was hit in the back by a pitch to put two men on. Burks was next, and he lined a double off the wall in left. Estes and Santangelo scored, and the Giants led 4-1.

In the seventh, Bonds led off and flew to right. Santangelo followed with a single to right, and Burks drove in his fifth run of the night when he plated Santangelo with a double to left center. Second baseman Jeff Kent's single to center Burks home, and we had our final: Giants 6, Marlins 1.

The Marlins scored their only run in the top of the fourth. Center fielder Todd Dunwoodie led off with a single to right. Left fielder Preston Wilson lined a single to left that put runners at the corners, and Dunwoodie came home on third baseman Kevin Orie's fly ball to right.

Final totals: Giants 6-12-1, Marlins 1-10-0.

W- Estes (14-12)
L- L Hernandez (5-10)

HR- SF: Burks (31)

Note Burks also hit a home run in the actual game.

DW- Johnstone (4-5)
DS- Nen (34)
DL- Alfonseca (4-4)

LHR- FLA: Wilson (25)

Burks was named Player of the Game. He hit a home run and had five of the Giants' six RBIs.

Bonds was hitless in four at-bats. He's currently batting .265 (129-487) with forty-eight home runs and 125 runs batted in.

Next: Game 2 between the Marlins and the Giants on Tuesday, April 20, Brian Meadows will start for the Marlins, while Chris Brock gets the ball for the Giants.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, April 20, 1999, and the Giants are hosting the Marlins in the second game of a three-game series at 3Com Park. Brian Meadows will pitch for the Marlins, while Chris Brock goes to the mound for the Giants. Bonds is in left field and will bat sixth, as his replacement Stan Javier did in real life. The Marlins won the actual game, 7-2.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the second, Jeff Kent led off with a double to center. J,T. Snow struck out swinging for out number one, but Bonds singled up the middle to bring Kent home and tie the game at one. Third baseman Ramon Martinez flew to left for out number two, but catcher Brent Mayne gave the home squad the lead when he hit Meadows' 0-2 fastball over the right center field wall for a two-run homer, his second of the year. The Giants led 3-1 after two.

In the third with one out and the Marlins leading 5-3, Snow and Bonds drew back-to-back walks. Martinez singled to left to load the bases, but Mayne flew to right for the second out, and reliever Felix Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the fifth with one out, Bonds walked again on five pitches. He was forced by Martinez, who was forced by Mayne to end the inning.

In the seventh with one out, Bonds doubled to center. He moved to when F.P. Santangelo (batting for Martinez) grounded to second. but Mayne flew to Mark Kotsay in shallow right to end the inning.

In the ninth, Bonds lined a leadoff single to left. New third baseman Bill Mueller grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. and new catcher Scott Servais struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the eleventh with two out and the Marlins leading 7-6, Snow singled to left. Bonds worked the count to 3-2, then lined a double off the wall in right center to score Snow and tie the game at seven.

Now let's take a look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the first with one out, shortstop Alex Gonzalez lined a double off the wall in left. Kotsay followed with a fly ball to left that dropped in for another double. Gonzalez scored, and the Marlins led 1-0.

In the top of the third with one out and the Giants leading 3-1, Gonzalez singled to right center. Kotsay singled to left to put two men on, and first baseman Derrek Lee lashed a double into the left center power alley that scored Gonzalez to cut the Frisco lead to 3-2. Next was center fielder Todd Dunwoody, who lined a base hit to left. Kotsay and Lee scored, and the Fish led 4-3. Left fielder Preston Wilson stroked a base hit to left center that put runners at the corners, and Dunwoody scored the fifth Florida run on third baseman Kevin Orie's fly ball to left, which was caught by Bonds at the wall.

In the top of the fifth with one out, Wilson hit Rodriguez's 1-1 slider over the center field wall to extend the Marlins' lead to 6-3. It was Wilson's twenty-sixth home run of the season.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out, center fielder Marvin Benard walked, then stole second and third. Shortstop Rich Aurilia popped to his counterpart Gonzalez for the second out, but Ellis Burks knocked in his sixth run of the series with a base hit to left that cashed in Benard. After six, it was Marlins 6, Giants 4.

In the bottom of the eighth, Armando Rios led off as the pinch-hitter for reliever Joe Nathan and hit the first-pitch curveball from Marlins reliever Brian Edmonson into the third row of seats in left center for his eighth home run of the year to cot the Giants' deficit to 6-5. Estimated home run distance: 394 feet. (Left center field is 362 feet from home plate at 3Com Park.)

After Benard flew to Dunwoodie on the warning track in center for the first out, Aurilia singled to center, but was forced by Burks, who stole second, Kent was next, and his base hit to left center brought Burks home to tie the game at six.

In the top of the eleventh with one out, Cliff Floyd batted for Marlins reliever Matt Mantei and hit a1-1 changeup from Giants reliever Rich Rodriguez over the left center field wall for a home run, his twelfth of the year, to put the Marlins in front 7-6.

In the top of the twelfth, Dunwoody led off by hitting a 1-1 fastball from Giants reliever Jerry Spradlin over the wall in left center for a home run to give the Marlins an 8-7 lead. It was Dunwoody's third home run of the year. Reliever Vic Darensbourg retired the Giants in order in the bottom of the twelfth, and the Marlins had secured an 8-7 win in twelve innings,

Final totals: Marlins 8-16-0, Giants 7-16-0,

W- Alfonseca (5-4)
S- Darensbourg (1)
L- Spradlin (4-2)

HR- FLA: Wilson (26), Floyd (12), Dunwoodie (3)
SF: Rios (8), Mayne (2)

DW- Meadows (10-15)
DS- Edmonson
DL- Brock (6-7)

LHR- FLA: Lee (4)
SF: Kent (20)

Dunwoody's game-winning homer earned him Player of the Game honors.

Bonds was four for four with a run scored and two RBIs. He's currently batting .271 (133-491) with forty-eight home runs and 127 runs batted in,

Next: Game 3 between the Marlins and the Giants on Wednesday, April 21. Dennis Springer will start for the Marlins, while Mark Gardner goes to the mound for the Giants.

Thoughts?