Anybody's Game - 1979 WS Game 2 Live Blog Continues in 7th, Tied at 2

BALTIMORE, Md. / October 11, 1979

Top of the 7th
9:14 - Welcome back to Baltimore and it couldn't be a closer game with the teams knotted at 2 in the seventh.
9:15 - And there you can see behind the score is Murray getting thrown out at the plate on a huge play in the field by Dave Parker, an MVP candidate.
9:16 - John Milner leads off with a fly out to Al Bumbry in center field.
9:17 - It's raining pretty hard now but Palmer is totally unfazed by anything. Bill Madlock up with one out, nobody on.
9:17 - Madlock fouls off a pitch way outside. He can hit any pitch and he takes advantage by swinging at any pitch.
9:18 - Diving stop by DeCinces and then he throws the ball away. Ball goes into the dugout, and Madlock goes to second.
9:18 - He should have eaten that ball. Doug's third error and it's only Game 2 of the series.
9:19 - Ed Ott is up, a good hitter for a catcher at .273 with seven home runs.
9:20 - Rumor has it Ed Ott's eventual goal is to manage an independent league team playing at a softball stadium in Allentown.
9:21 - Ott strikes out on a great changeup. Strategy time.
9:21 - They can walk Phil Garner and force Blyleven to the plate in a key spot. But the Pirates have good pinch hitters on the bench.
9:22 - You know Palmer wants to go right after him. But they're putting him on. Decision time.
9:22 - I would just let Blyleven hit, he's done a great job tonight.
9:23 - Nope, it's the lefty Mike Easler pinch hitting. A good pinch hitter this season. He's a .278 hitter with two home runs, 11 RBI, and only 62 at-bats.
9:24 - Blyleven doesn't like always taken out like this. He completed only four of 37 starts. Tippy Martinez is warming up but this is a spot where you want Palmer on the mound.
9:25 - Easler crouches a lot and is a small guy, makes for a tiny strike zone. Don Robinson is the only man warming so he'll be the new Bucs pitcher.
9:26 - Blyleven goes six innings, 2 runs, and now a 1.80 ERA this postseason. Easler is battling with two strikes now.
9:27 - Full count now. Easler really battling the Hall of Famer here. That'll start the runners.
9:28 - Catcher Rick Dempsey visits the mound. And it's a fastball low loading the bases with Omar Moreno coming to the plate!
9:29 - Omar Moreno, a good year in the leadoff spot, .282, 110 runs, 8 home runs and 69 RBI - a lot of RBI for a leadoff man. He's cold at the plate right now but he has the ability to give the Buccos a big hit.
9:29 - Palmer hated that ball four call but it looked low to me.
9:31 - Palmer really taking his time here.
9:32 - STRIKEOUT! The veteran Palmer comes through again. He is so tough in the clutch.
9:33 - The Pirates now have eight hits, two walks and a Baltimore error and only two runs to show for it in this huge Game 2.

Bottom of the 7th
9:36 - Don Robinson is the new pitcher.
9:37 - He threw two scoreless innings last night and is back out there again. 8-8, 3.87 on the year as a starting pitcher. He's used to three or four days rest and now he's out on back to back nights.
9:38 - Robinson is a fastball pitcher, hard thrower, and we'll see if he has the same gas he had yesterday when the Oriole hitters were really overmatched.
9:38 - Bobby Smith fouls out to first. Rick Dempsey is up with one out.
9:39 - I almost forgot Moonraker on my list of great films of the 70s! Holly Goodhead, what a name.
9:40 - Dempsey walks and now it's the pitcher's spot, and Jim Palmer's night is over. Pat Kelly pinch hits. A left hander with a .288 career average, and a whopping .458 on the year.
9:41 - When Moonraker came out the Pirates were in fourth place and having a disappointing season. They've been on fire ever since but they need this game here.
9:43 - The count quickly 2-1 on Kelly and Ed Ott is out to the mound with the rain coming down really hard now. It's to the point where they might have to think about suspending the game.
9:44 - The Pirates would look great in yellow and black plaid uniforma, wonder why they don't wear them.
9:45 - Ball four! Al Bumbry is up now with two on, one out, and I wonder if Robinson has his good stuff tonight.
9:46 - Bumbry is not an RBI man but he's a good hitter, .285 this year and two .300 years in his career.
9:48 - Straight gas now. Robinson won't mess around with more breaking stuff in this situation.
9:49 - And the Orioles road uniforms would look good in black and orange plaid. Plaid looks great for my formal furniture, why not for uniforms? I just never will get fashion.
9:51 - Bumbry strikes out. A huge strikeout. And Mark Belanger due up with no hits this World Series.
9:51 - They're calling him back. Terry Crowley will pitch hit, a dangerous bat off the bench.
9:52 - The Orioles released him in 1977 at the age of 30, but he signed a minor league deal and had a career year in Rochester. He came up that September and has been their top pinch hitter since, hitting .317 this year.
9:54 - Crowley works a 3-2 count. Kenny Singleton in the on deck circle with 111 RBIs and one hot wife this season.
9:56 - Walk. Robinson has walked the bases loaded. He's thrown 28 pitches this inning and is playing with fire, the dangerous Singleton could break it wide open.
9:56 - Still two out, but I might bring the hook for Robinson here. You could lose the Series in this at-bat.
9:58 - A lot of drama here. Kent Tekulve is ready and they're sticking with the young Robinson. Not even a mound visit.
9:59 - Three pitch strikeout! Singleton goes down on a pitch way low and inside. 2-2 tie still, and I could have had a heart attack in that inning.

Top of the 8th
10:02 - There's Singleton striking out in the biggest at-bat yet in the series.
10:04 - Tippy Martinez is in now for the O's, a lefty bullpen ace who went 10-3, 2.88 on the season.
10:05 - Jim Palmer really battled and gets a no-decision with a great game. Don Stanhouse is warming up too. Tim Foli leads off.
10:06 - I don't get why you choke up on the bat rather than using a smaller bat, but I'm not a gritty middle infielder like Tim Foli.
10:06 - Foli flies out to right field, Ken Singleton catching it right by the wall.
10:07 - Fastball pitcher against fastball hitter here with Dave Parker up, and Stargell on deck.
10:07 - Groundout to third. The Pirates haven't been pulling many balls tonight. But Willie Stargell could put them ahead with one swing of course.
10:08 - Do you realize that if the Pirates had made the 1977 or 1978 Series in New York I could have gone to Studio 54 after the games? Instead I'm doing late night crab fishing.
10:09 - Stargell strikes out looking on a pitch that was clearly outside. 2-2 middle of the eighth.

Bottom of the 8th
10:12 - Eddie Murray leads it off with a looping hit into center field.
10:12 - Robinson in for another inning despite struggling in the 7th. The O's can't hit him, it's just an issue of control.
10:13 - Coffee being delivered in the visiting bullpen. They don't do that in New York.
10:15 - Doug DeCinces up with the outfielders playing deep. DeCinces is a fastball hitter, but I don't know if he can catch up to Don Robinson.
10:16 - By the way, my idiot friend bet me $100 that the USA would medal in hockey at the upcoming Winter Olympics. Unbelievable, and he wasn't even drunk at the time.
10:17 - DeCinces tries a bunt and they don't get the lead runner! Both runners are safe and there are two on, two out for John Lowenstein - a guy with 11 home runs in a part time role.
10:18 - Lowenstein is bunting again, the Pirates get the force out at second and then the tag play on Murray going to third! Double play! Billy Smith is up with one on and two out, and what looked like a great rally is about to be over.
10:19 - Cosell with a great observation. Why swing or bunt at the first pitch on all these at bats with Robinson lacking control. Unbelievable. Chuck Tanner is clearly outmanaging the great Earl Weaver.
10:21 - Smith grounds out to Garner and it's still tied, 2-2, going to the ninth inning.

Top of the 9th
10:24 - Bill Robinson leading off, pinch-hitting for the lefthanded Milner against the southpaw Tippy Martinez who's in for a second inning of work.
10:25 - Robinson hit 24 home runs this year, what a guy to bring off your bench in this Game 2. But this one could go all night with these quality bullpens.
10:26 - By the way, how about this horrible new comic strip in the Post Gazette. For Better or For Worse. My opinion: Worse. Is it funny that two people are married and have kids?
10:27 - Robinson singles and that chases Martinez already. FULLPACK Don Stanhouse coming in.
10:31 - Earl Weaver is always more inclined to make a move than not with his pitching staff. Stanhouse gets his nickname because Weaver claims to smoke a full pack of cigarettes while he's on the mound due to his wildness.
10:33 - He's 7-3 on the year with a 2.85 ERA over 52 games.
10:34 - Bill Madlock up, and Matt Alexander runs for Robinson. Alexander stole 13 bases and was caught only once.
10:35 - The designated runner. A specialist who is here to stay in baseball. Alexander batted only 13 times this year.
10:36 - By the way, the U.S. Pioneer 11 visited Saturn. I'm not impressed. I took two pills with Dock Ellis a few years ago and we both visited Jupiter.
10:37 - Finally Stanhouse is going to throw a pitch with Tim Stoddard warming now.
10:38 - Bill Madlock is up, probably the best pure hitter on the team along with Dave Parker. Stanhouse still hasn't thrown a pitch.
10:38 - Alexander runs on the first pitch, and he got a great jump and is thrown out anyway! Wow, I can't believe Rick Dempsey threw him out on that one. Cosell hates the steal attempt. Madlock steps back in with nobody on now.
10:40 - Hardest rain of the night. If the game is suspended while tied, they'll replay it from the beginning.
10:41 - Stanhouse has been in the game for ten minutes and is on his first batter. The slowest worker in baseball.
10:42 - Madlock hits a fly ball in front of the left center field warning track. Two outs for Ed Ott. Looks like if the Pirates win this it'll be in extra innings.
10:43 - It's quickly 0-2 on Ed Ott. Rick Dempsey, a pinch hitter for Stanhouse and then Al Bumbry are due up for Baltimore in the 9th.
10:43 - Now Steve Stone is warming along with Stoddard in the Baltimore 'pen.
10:44 - The 1-2 pitch just misses and it's 2-2 now. Stanhouse and Dempsey wanted that call.
10:44 - Sharp ground ball directly at the second baseman, and Billy Smith can't play a bad hop. Ott on first with two outs for Phil Garner. I sure wish the Pirates didn't try to steal earlier in this inning.
10:45 - Phil Garner has to be the best #8 hitter in baseball, and he hit .377 in September.
10:47 - 3-0 to Garner. Robinson is on deck but I'm sure they'll pinch hit for him if necessary.
10:48 - Four pitch walk! I see what Earl Weaver was getting at with the nickname. And it'll be Manny Sanguillen to pinch hit.
10:48 - He's a .297 career hitter and hit .377 in the '71 World Series when we beat these same Orioles. Now he's well past his prime, and hit just .230 this year with no home runs. Can't believe this is our best option.
10:49 - They'll try to score Ott from second on just about any hit by the way, with Moreno on deck hitting poorly the last two nights.
10:51 - Manny out in front of a great pitch to hit, and it's 0-2 now.
10:54 - SINGLE TO RIGHT! AND OTT IS COMING AROUND TRYING TO SCORE...SINGLETON THROWS...MURRAY'S RELAY IS LATE! OTT HOOK SLIDES INTO HOME! 3-2 PIRATES!
10:55 - Moreno lines out to Smith on the first pitch. But it'll be Kent Tekulve in to close it out, and come home tied 1-1.
10:56 - What a rally! It looked like there was literally no chance. Two outs, an 0-2 count... And Sanguillen comes through. A 1971 hero is a hero in 1979.
10:57 - A questionable addition to the postseason roster to some, Sanguillen with perhaps his last big hit in a Pirate uniform. You just can't predict baseball.

Bottom of the 9th
10:58 - Kent Tekulve is on to close it now.
10:59 - He pitched in 94 games this year, a real workhorse. 10-8, 31 saves and a 2.75 ERA.
11:00 - Matt Alexander stays in to play left. Enrique Romo and Grant Jackson are still active in the bullpen but who are we kidding, this is Tekulve's game.
11:02 - Two strikes quickly on Rick Dempsey, the .239 hitting catcher.
11:03 - Struck him out on a great curveball. No chance for Dempsey. And Kiko Garcia will pinch hit for Stanhouse. .243 with 5 home runs this year.
11:04 - Earl Weaver does not look happy. The O's blew it in the bottom of the 8th.
11:05 - Tekulve is a sidearmer and it is hard to pick up that arm angle after three or four at-bats against conventional overhand pitchers.
11:06 - And Garcia strikes out! Two out and Al Bumbry is the last home. I'm thinking this will be tied and Three Rivers will be rocking tomorrow night.
11:07 - I'm jinxing them. Bumbry is a tough out. Lee May is in the on deck circle with 19 home runs on the year. Potential winning run if Bumbry gets on.
11:09 - Routine grounder to the shortstop Foli! He throws to Stargell, Bumbry is out and this series is tied!
11:11 - And there's your losing pitcher Don Stanhouse, looking not too happy. At least he's got great hair and facial hair.
11:13 - Not perfect baseball by the Pirates as they had to overcome a few mistakes, but great pitching and a timely hit from Sanguillen. What a huge win.
11:14 - Jim Palmer and Bert Blyleven both pitched great. One for the ages.
11:15 - No rain please tomorrow. The series resumes with Game 3, which I'll be Live Blogging next Tuesday. A pivotal game. The Pirates' ace, John Candelaria, 14-9 and a 3.22 ERA, against Scott McGregor for the O's, 13-6 with a 3.35 ERA. See you then.