King of the World: Barry Bonds Chases Sadaharu Oh

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Garrett Garlits

It's Wednesday, September 28, 1988, and the Pirates are hosting the Cardinals in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium, Joe Magrane will start for the Cardinals, while Doug Drabek gets the ball for the Pirates, Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Redus did in real life, The Cardinals won the actual game, 2-1.

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

In the first, he led off by hitting Magrane's 0-1 curveball over the right field wall for his thirtieth home run of the year to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was also career homer Number 843. He's now twenty-five home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

Jose Lind was next, and Magrane walked him on five pitches. Andy Van Slyke's base hit to right center put two men on. Bobby Bonilla struck out swinging for out number one, but right fielder Glenn Wilson banged a double off the wall in right center. Lind and Van Slyke scored, and the Buccos led 3-0. Sid Bream's popup was caught by Cardinals third baseman Jose Oquendo for the second out, but catcher Tommy Prince stroked a single to left that brought Wilson home and extended the Pittsburgh lead to 4-0. Shortstop Felix Fermin struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the second with one out. Bonds walked. He promptly stole second and went to third when Cardinals catcher Tony Pena threw his pickoff attempt into center field. Lind's bloop fell on the left field line for a double to bring Barry home and make it 5-0 Pittsburgh. Van Slyke ended the home squad's coring for the night by lining a base hit to right that brought Chico home and gave the Pirates a 6-0 lead.

In the fourth, Fermin drew a leadoff walk. After Drabek was called out on strikes for out number one, Fermin was forced by Bonds. A wild pitch from Magrane moved Barry to second, and Lind walked to put two men on. Van Slyke's bouncer to Smith at short ended the inning.

In the sixth, Bonds flew to left.

The Redbirds scored their only run in the top of the seventh. Second baseman Luis Alicea led off with a triple into the left field corner. Oquendo took a called third strike for out number one. Tommy Herr batted for Magrane and stroked a base hit to left center to bring Alicea home with the Cards' first (and only) run of the night,

Final totals: Pirates 6-8-0, Cardinals 1-7-1.

W- Drabek (16-6)
L- Magrane (4-10)

HR- PIT: Bonds (30)

LHR- STL: Guerrero (9)

Bonds was one for three plus a walk with a home run and two runs scored. He's currently batting .279 (169-605) with thirty home runs and seventy-three runs batted in. He's currently in a three-way tie for second in the National League home run race with the Giants' Will Clark and the Astros' Glenn Davis. The Mets' Darryl Strawberry leads the league with thirty-nine.

He's scored 114 runs, which is still good for fifth in the major leagues, one behind the Brewers' Paul Molitor.

He's drawn seventy-nine walks. His OPS is .366. which leaves him in a three-way-tie for ninth in the National League with Strawberry and Bonilla.

His slugging percentage is .504. which leaves him in a tie for fifth in the National League with the Cubs' Andre Dawson.

His OPS is .870. He's fourth in the National League, twenty-three points behind the Expos' Andres Galarraga.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Mets: 101-59
Pirates: 89-73- 13 GB
Expos: 81-81- 21 GB
Cubs: 77-85- 25 GB
Cardinals: 74-88- 28 GB
Phillies: 66-95- 35.5 GB

Next: The Buccos head to Wrigley Field in Chicago to begin their final series of the season against the Cubs on Friday, September 30, Mike Dunne will start for the Pirates. while Rick Sutcliffe goes to the hill for the Cubs,

Thoughts?
 
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Garrett Garlits

It's Friday, September 30, 1988, and the Pirates are taking on the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Mike Dunne will start for the Pirates, while Rick Sutcliffe gets the ball for the Cubs, Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Redus did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game 10-9 in ten innings.

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

In the first. he flew to center. Jose Lind was hit on the wrist by a pitch from Sutcliffe, and center fielder Andy Van Slyke lined a double into the right center power alley to bring Vam Slyke home and give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Third baseman Bobby Bonilla was next, and he smacked Sutcliffe's 1-1 curveball over the fence in right center field for his twenty-seventh homer of the year to make it 3-0 Pittsburgh After Sid Bream grounded to Ryne Sandberg at second for the first out, right fielder Glenn Wilson lined Sutcliffe's 0-1 hanging slider into the bleachers in left center field to extend the Pirates' lead to 4-0.

In the second with two out, Bonds lined a single to right, stole second, and moved to third when Cubs catcher Damon Berryhill's throw went into center field. Lind's grounder to short ended the inning.

In the fourth, Bonds took a called third strike.

In the sixth with one out, shortstop Felix Fermin singled to left. He was bunted over to second by Dunne, and Bonds walked to put two men on. Lind grounded to Cubs third baseman Vance Law, who stepped on the bag to force the incoming Fermin and end the inning.

In the ninth with the score tied at four, Bonds led off with a single to center against Cubs reliever Frank DiPino. Lind followed with a lined single to left center that put runners at the corners. DiPino exited in favor of future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, whose first assignment was Van Slyke. Andy smacked a double over Andre Dawson's head in right to score Bonds and Lind and put the Bucs in front 6-4.

Bonilla's popup was caught by Mark Grace behind the first base bag for out number one, and Bream grounded to second for the second out, with Van Slyke moving to third. Wilson was hit in the thigh by a pitch, and Mike LaValliere (batting for catcher Tommy Prince) walked to load the bases. A wild pitch from Gossage brought Van Slyke home from third to make it 7-4, and R.J. Reynolds (batting for Fermin) capped off the inning with a single to right. Wilson scored, and we had our final: Pirates 8, Cubs 4.

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

In the bottom of the third with the Pirates leading 4-0, Berryhill slapped a ball just out of Dunne's reach and up the middle for a base hit. Shortstop Angel Salazar lined another single to center to put two men on, but he was forced by Sutcliffe for out number one. After center fielder Mitch Webster took a called third strike for the second out, Sandberg golfed Dunne's 2-1 fastball down the left field line and over the wall for a three-run homer, his twentieth of the year. After three, it was Pittsburgh 4, Chicago 3.

In the bottom of the eighth, Sandberg led off with a single to left against reliever Bob Kipper. Grace walked to put two men on, but Dawson struck out swinging for out number one. Left fielder Rafael Palmeiro was next, and his base hit to right center scored Sandberg to tie the game at four.

Final totals: Pirates 8-13-0, Cubs 4-8-2.

W- J. Robinson (11-6)
L- DiPino (2-4)

HR- PIT: Bonilla (27), G. Wilson (4)
CHC: Sandberg (20)

DW- Medvin (2-0)
DS- Fisher
DL- Gossage (4-3)

LHR- CHC: Palmeiro (7), Berryhill (6), Webster (5)

Bonds was two for four plus a walk with a run scored. He's currently batting .281 (171-609) with thirty home runs and seventy-three runs batted in.

He's scored 115 runs, which ties him for fourth in the major leagues with the Brewers' Paul Molitor. The Yankees' Rickey Henderson is third with 118,

He's drawn ninety walks. His on-base percentage remains at .366, which leaves him tied for ninth in the National League with Bonilla (unofficially) and the Mets' Darryl Strawberry.

He now has 101 singles. His slugging percentage is at .504, As I'm typing this, he's still tied with Dawson for fifth in the National League, I'll calculate Dawson's slugging percentage in just a moment.

Bonds' OPS remains at .870. He's still fourth in the National League, twenty-three points behind Andres Galarraga of the Expos.

Dawson was one for six with a single in the actual game, but he went hitless in four at-bats in the sim. His slugging percentage remains at .504, which means that he and Bonds are still tied for fifth in the National League.

Next: Game 2 between the Pirates and Cubs on Saturday, October 1. Brian Fisher will start for the Pirates, while Calvin Schiraldi takes the ball for the Cubs.

Thoughts?
 
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Garrett Garlits

It's Saturday, October 1, 1988, and the Pirates are battling the Cubs in the second game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field, Brian Fisher will start for the Pirates, while Calvin Schiraldi goes to the mound for the Cubs. Bonds is in left field and will bat second, as his replacement John Cangelosi did in real life. The Cubs won the actual game, 9-7,

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

In the first with one out, he struck out swinging. Andy Van Slyke kept the inning alive with a triple off the left field ivy. That brought up third baseman Bobby Bonilla, who stroked a single to right center that scored Van Slyke and gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead.

In the third, he grounded to third.

In the fifth, he grounded to second.

In the seventh with the score tied at one, second baseman Kenny Oberkfell led off with a single to right center. Catcher Mike LaValliere's popup was caught by Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg for the first out, and shortstop Felix Fermin struck out swinging for out number two. Orestes Destrade batted for Fisher and lined a single to right center that moved Oberkfell to third. A walk to right fielder Gary Redus loaded the bases, and Bonds unloaded them by lining a base hit to left. Oberkfell and Destrade scored, and the Pirates led 3-1.

In the ninth with one out, Redus' bloop fell in shallow center field for a single. Bonds lined a base hit to left to put runners at the corners, and Van Slyke followed with a single to right that brought Redus home and gave us our final: Pirates 4, Cubs 1.

The Cubs scored their only run in the bottom of the first. Sandberg singled to left center with one out. First baseman Mark Grace walked to put two men on, and right fielder Andre Dawson followed with a single to left that scored Sandberg and tied the game at one.

Final totals: Pirates 4-13-0, Cubs 1-4-0.

W- Fisher (8-10)
S- Gott (34)
L- Schiraldi (9-14)

DW- Blankenship (0-1)
DS- Schiraldi
DL- Kramer (1-1)

LHR- PIT: Van Slyke (27), Bonilla (26)
CHC: Law (10), Palmeiro (6)

Bonds was two for five with two RBIs. He's currently batting .282 (173-614) with thirty home runs and seventy-five runs batted in.

His on-base percentage has risen to .375. He's fifth in the National League, two points behind the Dodgers' Kirk Gibson,

Bonds now has 103 singles and thirty-four doubles. He's unofficially sixth in the National League in doubles, one behind a tie for fifth between the Braves' Dale Murphy and the Expos' Hubie Brooks.

Bonds' slugging percentage is .503. As of now, he's sixth in the National League, one point behind the Cubs' Andre Dawson. I'll calculate Dawson's slugging percentage in a moment,

His OPS is .878. He's fourth in the National League, fifteen points behind the Expos' Andres Galarraga for third.

In the sim, Dawson was two for four with two singles. In the actual game, he was two for five with a single and a double. His slugging percentage currently sits at .507, which means he's four points ahead of Bonds and (unofficially) one point behind the Giants' Will Clark for third in the National League,

Here are the updated standings in the National League:

Mets: 101-59
Pirates: 90-72- 12 GB
Expos: 81-81- 21 GB
Cubs: 76-86- 26 GB
Cardinals: 74-88- 28 GB
Phillies: 66-95- 35.5 GB

Next: The Pirates wrap up the 1988 season against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday, October 2, John Smiley will start for the Pirates, while Jamie Moyer takes the ball for the Cubs.

Thoughts?
 
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Garrett Garlits

It's Sunday, October 2, 1988, and the Pirates are finishing their 1988 season against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, John Smiley will start for the Pirates, while Jamie Moyer goes to the hill for the Cubs. Bonds is in left field and will bat second, as his replacement John Cangelosi did in real life. The Cubs won the actual game, 8-4.

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

In the first, he grounded to first.

In the fourth, his fly to deep right center was caught by the Cubs' Darrin Jackson.

In the sixth with the Cubs leading 3-0, shortstop Rafael Belliard led off with a lined single to left. Smiley bunted him over to second, Right fielder Gary Redus walked to put two men on, but was forced by Bonds for the second out, with Belliard moving to third. Andy Van Slyke lined a single to right that brought Raffy home and cut the Cubs' lead to 3-1. Bonds moved to third on the play, and he came home when Bobby Bonilla beat out a grounder to short for an infield single After five and a half, it was Cubs 3, Pirates 2..

In the seventh, second baseman Kenny Oberkfell led off by beating out a grounder to third for an infield single. Catcher Tommy Prince doubled off the wall in left center to move Oberkfell to third. The runners held while Belliard grounded to short for out number one. Pirates manager Jim Leyland sent Sid Bream up to bat for Smiley. and Sid lined a base hit to right center. Oberkfell and Prince scored, and the Pirates led 4-3.

That was all for Moyer; Frank DiPino came out of the Cubs' pen to face Redus, who hit a grounder to short. The Cubs' Shawon Dunston couldn't find the handle, and Redus reached on the error, Bonds was next, and his liner was caught by the Cubs' Mark Grace for the second out. Van Slyke struck out to end the inning with runners still at first and second.

In the top of the ninth, Prince drew a leadoff walk, He moved to second on a wild pitch by Cubs reliever Goose Gossage. Belliard took a called third strike for out number one, and R,J. Reynolds batted for reliever Jeff Robinson and lined a base hit to left center to put runners at the corners, But the future Hall of Famer came back to strike out Redus and Bonds to end the inning with runners still at first and second.

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

In the bottom of the second, third baseman Vance Law led off with a single to left center. He was forced by Jackson for out number one, but catcher Damon Berryhill lined a single up the middle, which put runners at the corners. Dunston followed with a fly ball to center; Van Slyke made the catch and threw to the plate, but Law avoided Prince's tag and scored to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Law led off with a base hit to center. Jackson flew to left center for out number one, but Berryhill lined Smiley's 1-0 fastball into the right field bleachers for a two-run homer to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. It was Berryhill's seventh home run of the year.

Final totals: Pirates 4-9-1, Cubs 3-8-1.

W- Smiley (13-11)
S- Gott (35)
L- Moyer (8-16)

HR- CHC: Berryhill (7)

LHR- CHC: Dawson (23), Sandberg (19)

Bonds was hitless in five at-bats with a run scored. He finished the year batting .279 (173-619) with thirty home runs and seventy-five runs batted in. He ended up tied for second in home runs in the National League with the Astros' Glenn Davis and the Giants' Will Clark.

Bonds finishes with 116 runs scored, which was fourth in the major leagues, two behind Rickey Henderson of the Yankees for third.

Bonds' final on-base percentage is .373. He finished tied for fifth in the National League with the Padres' Tony Gwynn.

Bonds' final slugging percentage is .499. As of this sentence, he's sixth in the National League, eight points behind Dawson. I'll calculate Dawson's final slugging percentage in a moment.

Bonds' final OPS is .872. He finished fourth in the National League, twenty-one points behind the Expos' Andres Galarraga for third.

Dawson was two for three with a home run and a single in the actual game, but he finished hitless in four at-bats in the sim. He finished with a slugging percentage of .496, which means that he and Bonds switch places in the final OPS standings. Bonds finishes fifth, while Dawson finishes sixth.

Here are the final standings in the National League East:

Mets: 101-59
Pirates: 91-71- 11 GB
Expos: 81-81- 21 GB
Cubs: 75-87- 27 GB
Cardinals: 74-88- 28 GB
Phillies: 66-95- 35.5 GB

Next: We move on to the 1989 season, beginning with Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Phillies at Veterans Stadium on Friday, July 28. Smiley will again start for the Bucs, while Terry Mulholland goes to the mound for the Phils.

Thoughts?
 
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  • Index

    • Garrett Garlits

    It's Friday, July 28, 1989, and the Pirates are taking on the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. John Smiley will start for the Pirates, while Floyd Youmans takes the ball for the Phillies. Bonds in in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement R,J, Reynolds did in real life. The Phillies won the actual second game, 6-1. The Pirates won the first game, 10-5.

    As we begin again, Bonds is batting .247 (146-590) with nineteen home runs and sixty runs batted in, He has 843 career home runs, twenty-five behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

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

    In the first. center fielder John Cangelosi beat out a grounder to third for an infield single, then stole second. Second baseman Rafael Belliard doubled down the left field line to bring Cangy home and give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Youmans got the next two outs, as first baseman Jeff King popped to Dickie Thon at short and third baseman Bobby Bonilla grounded to short. Bonds walked to put two men on, but right fielder Glenn Wilson's fly to Randy Ready in left ended the inning.

    In the third with one out, Belliard singled to left. King walked to put two men on, Bonilla's fly to right center was caught by Phils center fielder Lenny Dykstra for the second out, Bonds' slow roller to Von Hayes at first ended the inning.

    In the sixth, his fly to deep right was caught at the wall by the Phils' Dwayne Murphy.

    In the eighth, Bonilla led off with a lined single to right center. Bonds followed with a fly ball to right that dropped on the warning track and hopped over the wall for a book-rule double; Bonilla moved to third. Wilson struck out swinging for out number one, and catcher Junior Ortiz's sizzling line drive was snagged by Phils third baseman Charlie Hayes, who stepped on the bag to force the incoming Bonilla and end the inning.

    In the ninth with one out and the Phillies leading 5-2, Reynolds (batting for reliever Jeff Robinson) beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single. Cangelosi walked to put two men on, and Belliard stroked a single to left center that brought Reynolds home to cut the Philly lead to 5-3. A walk to King loaded the bases and brought Bonilla to the plate; Bobby Bo came through with a lined single to right. Cangelosi and Belliard scored to tie the game at five, and King slid in safely at third ahead of Dykstra's throw,

    Closer Roger McDowell came out of the Philly bullpen to face Bonds, who walked on five pitches to reload the bases. But the home squad got out of the inning when Wilson grounded to third. Hayes fired to the plate for the force on King, and catcher Steve Lake threw to first to complete the double play.

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

    In the bottom of the second with the Pirates leading 1-0, Murphy lined a leadoff single to center. Ready walked to put two men on, but Smiley got the next two outs when Thon and Hayes each hit foul pops that were caught by King. Lake was next, and his single to center scored Murphy to tie the game at one.

    In the bottom of the third with one out, second baseman Tommy Herr lined a base hit to right center. First baseman Von Hayes (no relation to Charlie) was next, and he hit Smiley's 1-1 slider over the wall in left for a two-run homer to give the Phils a 3-1 lead. It was Von's twenty-seventh homer of the year.

    In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Charlie hit Smiley's 2-1 slider over the wall in left for his ninth home run of the year to extend the Philly lead to 4-1. Lake followed with a lined single to left, and he was bunted over to second by reliever Jeff Parrett. Dykstra followed with a bloop that dropped on the right field line and rolled toward the corner. Lake scored, and the Phils led 5-1.

    In the top of the seventh with one out, pinch hitter Gary Redus (batting for reliever Bob Kipper) walked. Cangelosi's single to right center put runners at the corners, and Redus scored when Belliard forced Cangelosi, As we stretched in Game 2, the Phillies led 5-2.

    In the bottom of the tenth with the score tied at five, Charlie hit reliever Bob Patterson's 1-1 slider down the left field line and over the wall for a walkoff homer, his second of the game and tenth of the year. Our final in ten: Phillies 6, Pirates 5.

    Final totals: Phillies 6-13-0, Pirates 5-10-0.

    W- R. McDowell (5-8)
    L- Patterson (4-4)

    HR- PHI: V. Hayes (27), C. Hayes 2 (10)

    DW- G. Harris (3-4)
    DL- Reed (1-3)

    LHR- PHI: C. Hayes (9), Lake (1)

    Charlie's walkoff homer earned him Player of the Game honors.

    Bonds was one for three with two walks. He's currently batting .248 (147-593) with nineteen home runs and sixty runs batted in.

    He's tied for third in the National League in games played with the Cardinals' Pedro Guerrero and Terry Pendleton at 162.

    He's now (unofficially) third in the National League in plate appearances with 694. Bonilla is second; I haven't officially tracked his number. The Padres' Roberto Alomar leads the league with 702.

    Next: The Pirates host the Cardinals on Wednesday, September 27. Joe Magrane will start for the Cardinals, while Doug Drabek takes the ball for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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  • Index

    • Garrett Garlits

    It's Wednesday, September 27, 1989, and the Pirates are hosting the Cardinals in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Joe Magrane will start for the Cardinals, while Doug Drabek gets the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement John Cangelosi did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 1-0.

    Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

    In the first, he flew to center.

    In the third, he grounded to Jose Qquendo at second.

    In the fifth, he struck out swinging.

    In the seventh with one out and the Cardinals leading 5-3. Bonds grounded to first. Shortstop Jay Bell kept the inning alive with a single to left center. Right fielder John Cangelosi was next, and he whacked reliever Frank DiPino's fastball over the center field wall for a game-tying two-run homer. It was Cangy's initial homer of the season, After seven, the Bucs and Cards were even at five.

    In the eighth, center fielder R,J. Reynolds led off with a base hit to left center against Cardinals reliever Ken Dayley, then stole second. Third baseman Jeff King walked to put two men on, and second baseman Jose Lind stroked a single to left that scored Reynolds and put the Bucs in front 6-5. The biggest blow of the inning came next, as Junior Ortiz batted for catcher Dann Bilardello and lined the first pitch he saw off the wall in right center field. King and Lind both scored, and the Pirates had an 8-5 lead.

    That was all for Dayley; Scott Terry came out of the St' Louis pen to face Andy Van Slyke, who was batting for Pirates reliever Bob Kipper. Van Slyke's fly to center was caught by Cardinals center fielder Milt Thompson, with Ortiz moving to third. Bonds walked to put two men on, and Bell uncorked another fly to deep center. Thompson again went back to the wall to make the catch, and Junior trotted home with the ninth Pittsburgh run. There was no further scoring.

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

    In the bottom of the sixth, Bell 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. Cangelosi followed with a base hit to right center that scored Bell and gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead. First baseman Bobby Bonilla lined a single to right that put runners at the corners, Reynolds bounced into a force play, which eliminated Bonilla but allowed Cangelosi to come home and extend the Pirates' lead to 2-0, Reynolds stole second, and King followed with a bloop that fell in shallow center for a base hit. Reynolds scored, and the Pirates led 3-0,

    The Redbirds scored all five of their runs in the top of the seventh. Qquendo led off against Drabek with a lined single to right center. First baseman Pedro Guerrero lasered a double into the left center power alley for a double, with Oquendo moving to third. Left fielder Denny Walling followed with a double over Bonds' head and off the wall in left to score Oquendo and Guerrero and cut the Pirates' lead to 3-2.

    A walk to right fielder Tom Brunansky finished Drabek's evening and brought on Kipper, who faced third baseman Terry Pendleton. Terry's base hit to center loaded the bases and brought up catcher Tony Pena, who turned on the first pitch he saw from his old teammate and lined it into left center for another single. Walling and Brunansky scored, and the Cards took a 4-3 lead,

    DiPino batted for himself and bunted the runners over, but Thompson struck out swinging for out number two, Shortstop Ozzie Smith was next, and his bouncer to short was juggled by Bell; by the time Jay found the handle, The Wizard was safe, and Pendleton had scored to make it 5-3 St. Louis. With Pena at third, Ozzie at first and two out, Oquendo hit a fly ball to right center that looked like an almost certain three-run homer, but Reynolds scaled the wall and made the catch to end the inning.

    Final totals: Pirates 9-12-3, Cardinals 5-7-1.

    W- Kipper (4-5)
    S- B. Landrum (26)
    L- Dayley (4-4)

    HR- PIT: Cangelosi (1)

    DW- Magrane (16-9)
    DL- Drabek (13-11)

    Bonds was hitless in four at-bats with a walk, He's currently batting .246 (147-597) with nineteen home runs and sixty runs batted in.

    He's currently in a three-way tie for first in games played in the National League with Bonilla and Oquendo at 163.

    He now has 699 plate appearances. three behind league leader Roberto Alomar of the Padres.

    Next: The Pirates host the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader at Three Rivers on Friday, September 29. Dwight Gooden will start for the Mets, while Bob Walk takes the ball for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Friday, September 29, 1989, and the Pirates are hosting the New York Mets in the first game of a doubleheader at Three Rivers Stadium. Bob Ojeda will pitch for the Mets, while Bob Walk goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement John Cangelosi did in real life. The Mets won the actual game, 6-2.

    Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

    In the first with the Mets already leading 2-0, Bonds led off with a lined single to left. Jay Bell flew to left center for out number one, and center fielder Billy Hatcher forced Bonds for out number two. He quickly stole second, then came home when Bobby Bonilla lashed a triple into the right field corner. Right fielder R.J. Reynolds lined a base hit to right center that scored Bonilla to tie the game at two. Third baseman Jeff King flew to Kevin McReynolds in left to end the inning.

    In the second with one out, catcher Dann Bllardello singled to right center, then stole second. He held at second while Walk bounced to short for the second out, and Bonds walked on five pitches to keep the inning alive. Bell's grounder to short ended the inning.

    In the fifth, Walk led off with a single to left. Bonds drew another walk to put two men on, but Ojeda retired the next three hitters: Bell popped to Keith Miller at second, Hatcher flew to left center, and Bonilla flew to shallow right center,

    In the seventh, Gary Redus batted for Walk and walked on a 3-2 pitch. He then stole second. Bonds was next, and he hit Ojeda's first-pitch fastball over the center field wall for a two-run homer to put the Bucs in front 4-2. It was Bonds' twentieth home run of the year and career home run Number 844. He's now twenty-four home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

    Center field is 400 feet from home plate at Three Rivers. Estimated distance of Bonds' home run: 434 feet.

    In the eighth, King drew a leadoff walk. Lind's line drive was gloved by Mets third baseman Howard Johnson. Bilardello was next, and he smacked a 1-1 curveball from Mets reliever Jeff Innis over the wall in right center for a two-run homer to increase the Buccos' lead to 6-2. It was Bilardello's third home run of the year.

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

    In the top of the first with two out, first baseman Dave Magadan walked. Johnson followed by lining Walk's 2-1 curveball over the right field wall for a two-run homer to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. It was Johnson's thirty-seventh homer of the year.

    In the top of the ninth with one out, left fielder Kevin McReynolds hit an 0-2 pitch from Pirates reliever Bill Landrum over the right center field wall, his twenty-second of the year, to establish our final: Pirates 6, Mets 3.

    Final totals: Pirates 6-8-2, Mets 3-4-0,

    W- Walk (14-10)
    S- B. Landrum (27)
    L- Ojeda (13-12)

    HR- NYM: Johnson (37), McReynolds (22)
    PIT: Bonds (20), Bilardello (3)

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

    DW- Fernandez (13-5)
    DL- Patterson (4-3)

    Walk was named Player of the Game. He pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out three. He was also one for two at the plate.

    Bonds was two for three plus two walks with a two-run homer. His final batting average is .248 (149-600) with twenty home runs and sixty-two runs batted in.

    He led the major leagues in games played with 164.

    He finishes the year with 704 plate appearances, which (unofficially) led the National League. He finished sixth in the majors. one behind the Indians' Joe Carter.

    Here are the final standings in the National League East:

    Cubs: 93-69
    (tie) Mets: 86-76- 7 GB
    (tie) Cardinals: 86-76- 7 GB
    Expos: 81-81- 12 GB
    Pirates: 74-88- 19 GB
    Phillies: 67-95- 26 GB

    Next: We resume our look at the 1990 season, as the Pirates entertain the Dodgers at Three Rivers on Tuesday, May 29. Fernando Valenzuela will start for the Dodgers, while Neal Heaton takes the mound for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Tuesday, May 29. 1990, and the Pirates are hosting the Dodgers in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Fernando Valenzuela will pitch for the Dodgers, while Neal Heaton heads to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will bat seventh, as his replacement Andy Van Slyke did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 9-5. As we resume, Bonds is batting .307 (166-541) with thirty-six home runs and 122 runs batted in.

    Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

    In the second, his popup was caught by the Dodgers' Eddie Murray at first.

    In the third with the Dodgers leading 2-0, Jay Bell led off with a single to right center. First baseman Gary Redus followed with a single to center that put two men on, but he was forced by right fielder Bobby Bonilla. Bell moved to third on the play and scored when left fielder R,J. Reynolds beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. Catcher Don Slaught was called out on strikes for the second out, and Bonds flew to shallow right to end the inning. After three, it was Los Angeles 2, Pittsburgh 1.

    In the fifth, Slaught led off with a single to left, but was forced by Bonds. Second baseman Jose Lind's popup was caught by Murray for the second out, but Bonds stole second to keep the inning alive. Heaton's grounder to second ended the inning.

    In the seventh with the score tied at three, Reynolds led off with a single to right. He was forced by Slaught for out number one, but Bonds walked to put two men on. Lind beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single to load the bases. Van Slyke was called on to bat for reliever Stan Belinda, and he hit a fly ball to deep right that was caught in foul territory by the Dodgers' Hubie Brooks for the second out. Slaught scored to give the Bucs a 4-3 lead while Bonds moved to third. King's fly to center ended the inning.

    In the eighth with two out, Bonilla walked against new Dodgers pitcher (and former Pirates closer) Jim Gott. Reynolds beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single to put two men on, and Slaught followed with a single to left that scored Bonilla to increase the Buccos' lead to 5-3. Reynolds moved to third on the hit, but Bonds was called out on strikes to retire the side.

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

    In the top of the third with two out, catcher Rick Dempsey walked. Second baseman Juan Samuel was next, and he clubbed Heaton's 2-1 curveball over the left field wall for a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. It was Samuel's fourteenth home run of the year.

    In the bottom of the fourth with the Dodgers leading 2-1, Lind drew a leadoff walk. Heaton hit a comebacker to Fernando, who threw to second for the force on Lind. Third baseman Jeff King's bouncer to counterpart Mike Sharperson moved Neal to second, and Bell's single to left put runners at the corners. A walk to Redus loaded the bases, and Bonilla stroked a single to right that scored Heaton and Bell to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead. Reynolds followed with a fly to deep left that was caught at the wall by the Dodgers' Kal Daniels to retire the side.

    In the top of the seventh, Brooks drew a leadoff walk. New Pirates reliever got the next two outs, as Dempsey struck out swinging and Samuel's popup was caught by King behind third base. Shortstop Alfredo Griffin was next, and he lined a double into the right center power alley to score Brooks and tie the game at three.

    Final totals: Pirates 5-14-0, Dodgers 3-4-0,

    W- Belinda (5-4)
    S- Patterson (7)
    L- Crews (4-7)

    HR- LAD: Samuel (14)

    DW- Patterson (7-5)
    DS- Ruskin (1)
    DL- Valenzuela (12-12)

    Bonds was hitless in four at-bats with a walk. He's currently batting .305 (166-545) with thirty-six home runs and 122 runs batted in.

    Bonds' walk was his ninety-seventh of the year. He's currently second in the National League, seven behind the Padres' Jack Clark,

    Bonds' on-base percentage is .411. At this moment, he's five points behind Murray for third in the National League.

    Bonds' slugging percentage is .574. In the National League, he has a fifteen-point lead over the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg. In the majors, he's third, three points behind the Athletics' Rickey Henderson.

    Bonds' OPS is .985. He (unofficially) leads the National League by fifty-three points over Murray. He's second in the major leagues, thirty-one points behind the Athletics' Rickey Henderson,

    Bonds has stolen fifty-six bases, which is second in the National League, eight behind the Astros' Eric Yelding,

    Bonilla was two for four with a run scored and two runs batted in, He was two for four with two runs scored in the actual game. This means that he's lost a run, which gives him 116 for the year. He's now tied for second with Sandberg. three behind Henderson for the major league lead.

    Turning to the RBI race, Bonilla was shut out in the actual game, but drove in two runs in the sim. He now has 127, which is second in the majors, five behind the Tigers' Cecil Fielder.

    In the actual game, Murray was one for four with a run scored. In the sim, he was hitless in four at-bats. His on-base percentage is .416, which means he's still five points ahead of Bonds. His slugging percentage is .519, which leaves him eighth in the National League, His OPS is .935, which leaves him fifty points behind Bonds,

    Murray is currently batting .330 (184-557), which puts him back in a tie with the Cardinals' Willie McGee for the National League batting title.

    Next: The Pirates host the Cubs on Tuesday, June 5. Mike Harkey will start for the Cubs, while Walt Terrell takes the ball for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Tuesday, June 5, and the Pirates are hosting the Chicago Cubs in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Mike Harkey will pitch for the Cubs, while Walt Terrell takes the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will bat sixth, as his replacement Barry Bonds did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 6-5.

    Let's begin by examining Bonds' at bats:

    In the first, first baseman Gary Redus drew a leadoff walk, but was forced by Jay Bell. Left fielder R.J, Reynolds walked to put two men on, Right fielder Bobby Bonilla was next, and he belted a triple high off the wall in right. Bell and Reynolds scored, and the Pirates led 2-0. Third baseman Jeff King's popup was caught by his Cubs counterpart Domingo Ramos for the second out. Having been burned by one of the Killer B's (Bonilla), Cubs manager Don Zimmer elected to walk Bonds intentionally, and the strategy worked. as Jose Lind's bouncer to third ended the inning.

    In the third, Bonds took a called third strike.

    In the sixth with one out, Bonds walked again. Lind's fly to deep right center was caught by the Cubs' Jerome Walton for out number two, Catcher Mike LaValliere struck out swinging to end the inning.

    In the eighth with one out and the Cubs leading 6-2, , Bonilla lined a double into the left center power alley. King/s popuo was caught by Cubs first baseman Mark Grace for out number one, but Bonds' bloop fell in right center for a double, Bonilla scored, and we had our final: Cubs 6, Pirates 3.

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

    In the top of the fourth with the Pirates leading 2-0, shortstop Shawon Dunston and Ramos drew back-to-back walks. Catcher Joe Girardi's fly to deep left center was caught at the wall by Bonds for the first out, with Dunston moving to third. Harkey hit another deep fly ball, this one to right, Bonilla ran it down two steps from the wall for out number two, but Dunston scored to put the Cubs on the board. Walton lined a base hit to right center that put runners at the corners, and second baseman Ryne Sandberg's base hit to left center scored Ramos to tie the game at two,

    In the top of the sixth, Ramos led off with a lined single to left center. Girardi's grounder skittered past reliever Bob Kipper and into center for another base hit to put two men on, and former Pirate Marvell Wynne batted for Harkey. He lined Kipper's last pitch of the evening into left center for the Cubs' third consecutive hit, Ramos scored, and the Cubbies led 3-2.

    Ted Power replaced Terrell and walked Walton on five pitches to load the bases. King gloved second baseman Ryne Sandberg's line drive for out number one, but he couldn't handle Grace's grounder. Girardi scored, and it was 4-2 Chicago, Right fielder Andre Dawson's liner was handled by Bell for the second out, but right fielder Dwight Smith put the game away for the Cubs with a base hit to left center that scored Wynne and Walton to increase their lead to 6-2.

    Final totals: Cubs 6-11-0, Pirates 3-7-1.

    W- Harkey (13-6)
    S- M. Williams (17)
    L- Kipper (5-3)

    DW- Belinda (4-4)
    DL- M. Williams (1-7)

    LHR- CHC: Sandberg (39), Grace (8)
    PIT: Bonilla (34)

    Bonds was one for two plus two walks with a run batted in, He's currently batting .305 (167-547) with thirty-six home runs and 123 runs batted in, As of this sentence, he's second in RBIs in the National League, four behind his teammate Bonilla.

    Bonds has now walked ninety-nine times. He's second in the National League, five behind the Padres' Jack Clark.

    Bonds' on-base percentage remains at ,411. He's still in third place in the National League, five points behind the Dodgers' Eddie Murray,

    Bonds' slugging percentage has risen to .576. As of this sentence, he leads the National League by seventeen points over Sandberg. In the majors, he's third, trailing the Athletics' Rickey Henderson by one point,

    Bonds' OPS is .987. He leads the National League by fifty-two points over Murray, and he's second in the majors, twenty-nine points behind Henderson,

    In the actual game, Bonilla was one for three with a three-run homer. In the sim, he was two for four with a run scored and two RBIs. He still has 116 runs scored, three behind Henderson for the major league lead. Sandberg scored twice in the actual game but didn't score at all in the sim. He now has 114 runs scored, which is good for third in the majors.

    Bonilla now has 126 runs batted in. He's second in the majors, six behind the Tigers' Cecil Fielder.

    As a bonus, let's calculate Sandberg's slugging percentage. He was two for five in the actual game with a home run, while he was one for five in the sim. His slugging percentage has dropped to .554, which is good for second place in the National League, twenty-two points behind Bonds.

    Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 96-66
    Mets: 91-71- 5 GB
    Expos: 85-77- 11 GB
    Cubs: 78-84- 18 GB
    Phillies: 77-85- 19 GB
    Cardinals: 69-93- 27 GB

    Next: The Pirates travel to Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia to battle the Phillies on Wednesday, June 20. John Smiley will start for the Pirates, while Bruce Ruffin takes the ball for the Phillies.

    Thoughts?
     
    Last edited:

    Garrett Garlits

    It's Wednesday, June 20, 1990, and the Pirates are taking on the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a two-game series at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. John Smiley will start for the Pirates, while Bruce Ruffin goes to the hill for the Phillies. Bonds is in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement R.J. Reynolds did in real life. The Phillies won the actual game, 7-2.

    In the bottom od the first, Phils center fielder Lenny Dykstra led off with a bloop single to left center. Second baseman Tommy Herr struck out swinging, and right fielder Von Hayes forced Dykstra for the second out. Von stole second, and third baseman Charlie Hayes' bloop fell in shallow left center for a base hit, Von scored, and the Phils led 1-0. First baseman Carmelo Martinez, who would end the season with the Pirates, was next, and he smacked Smiley's 1-1 fastball over the right field wall for a two-run homer to give the Phils a 3-0 lead. It was Martinez's eleventh home run of the year,

    In the top of the second. Bonds led off the inning by lining Ruffin's 2-0 curveball over the wall in right for his thirty-seventh home run of the year and career home run Number 845. He's now twenty-three home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

    The inning continued with a walk to catcher Don Slaught. Third baseman Jeff King's lined single to right center put two men on, and second baseman Jose Lind smacked a grounded past Ruffln and into center for another base hit. Slaught scored, and the Philly lead was cut to 3-2.

    In the top of the third, Bonds' popup was caught by Martinez.

    The Bucs took the lead for the first time in the top of the fifth. First baseman Gary Redus walked with one out, and Bobby Bonilla lined a double off the wall in left center to move him to third. Bonds was next, and his lined double to right scored Redus and Bonilla to put the Bucs in front 4-3.

    The Phils took the lead back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Dykstra drew a leadoff walk, and Herr mashed a triple high off the wall in center to score Lenny and tie the game at four. Von's bloop fell in left center field and rolled all the way to the wall for a double, Herr scored, and the Phillies led 5-4. Charlie's single to left brought Von home, and the Phils led 6-4 after five.

    The Buccos tied the game in the top of the sixth. Lind led off with a bloop double to right center and was bunted over to third by reliever Bob Kipper. Center fielder John Cangelosi walked, then stole second. Shortstop Jay Bell followed with a base hit to right center. Lind and Cangelosi scored, and we were even at six,

    The Pirates took command of the game by scoring six times in the top of the seventh. Bonds led off with a lined single to left and scored on Slaught's line drive double into the right center power alley. King grounded to short for out number one, with Slaught holding at second. Lind was next, and on reliever Darrell Akerfelds' one-one slider he hit a line drive down the left field line that kept carrying until it disappeared over the left field wall for a two-run homer, his second of the year, to extend the Pirates' lead to 9-6.

    Don Carman replaces Akerfelds and retired Kipper on a shallow fly to left center for out number two, but Cangelosi walked on a 3-2 pitch, then stole second. Bell lined a double off the wall in left center that brought Cangy home to make it 10-6, and Redus topped off the inning by lining Carman's 0-1 curveball over the wall in left center for a two-run homer, his seventh of the year and the team's second of the inning. Bonilla walked on four pitches, which brought Bonds to the plate for the second time in the inning. He bounced to Herr at second, and the side was mercifully retired,

    The Phils established our final score with a run in the bottom of the ninth. Von led off with a triple into the right field corner against Pirates reliever Bob Patterson and scored on a passed ball charged to Slaught. Our final: Pirates 12, Phillies 7.

    Final totals: Pirates 12-14-0, Phillies 7-13-0.

    W- Kipper (6-3)
    L- Akerfelds (5-3)

    HR- PIT: Bonds (37), Redus (7), Lind (2)
    PHI: Martinez (11)

    DW- Ruffin (5-13)
    DL- Patterson (7-4)

    LHR- PIT: Bonilla (33)
    PHI: Thon (7)

    Bonds was named Player of the Game. He was three for five with a home run. two runs scored, and three runs batted in. He's currently batting .308 (170-552) with thirty-seven home runs and 126 runs batted in.

    Bonds entered the top ten in the National League batting race; next is a four-way tie at .309 among the Padres' Bip Roberts, the Padres' Tony Gwynn, the Cubs' Mark Grace, and the Giants' Brett Butler.

    Bonds is tied for second in the National League home run race with the Mets' Darryl Strawberry, two behind the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg.

    As of this sentence, Bonds is tied for the National League lead in RBIs with Bonilla. They're six behind the Tigers' Cecil Fielder for the major league lead.

    Bonds has now scored 114 runs, which ties him with Sandberg for second in the National League. As of this sentence, Bonilla leads with 116.

    Turning to the percentages, Bonds' on-base percentage has risen to .412. He's third in the National League, four points behind the Dodgers' Eddie Murray.

    Bonds now has ninety-six singles. The National League top ten begins at 124.

    Bonds has thirty-four doubles, which ties him for eighth with Ron Gant and Jim Presley of the Braves.

    Bonds' slugging percentage has risen to .582. He leads the National League by twenty-eight points over the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg. and he's moved into second place in the majors, ten points behind Fielder.

    Bonds' OPS now stands at ,994. He leads the National League by fifty-nine points over the Dodgers' Eddie Murray, and he's just twenty-two points behind the Athletics' Rickey Henderson for the major league lead.

    Bonilla scored twice in the actual game, but only once in the sim. He still leads the National League with 115 runs, but Bonds and Sandberg are only one behind him. He trails Henderson by four for the major league lead.

    Bonilla drove in a run in the actual game, but none in the sim. He's down to 125 runs batted in for the season, which makes Bonds the new leader in the National League,

    Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 97-65
    Mets: 91-71- 6 GB
    Expos: 85-77- 12 GB
    Cubs: 78-84- 19 GB
    Phillies: 76-86- 21 GB
    Cardinals: 69-93- 28 GB

    Next: The Pirates host the Reds at Three Rivers on Saturday, August 24. Danny Jackson pitches for the Reds, while Bob Walk goes to the hill for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Saturday, August 25, 1990, and the Pirates are hosting the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium, Danny Jackson will start for the Reds, while Bob Walk takes the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will bat third, as his replacement R.J. Reynolds did in real life. The Reds won the actual game, 6-1.

    Let's examine Bonds' at bats first:

    In the first, his popup was caught by Reds first baseman Hal Morris.

    In the third, first baseman Gary Redus walked with one out and stole second with two out, Bonds grounded to short to retire the side.

    In the fifth with the Reds leading 4-2, Jay Bell led off with a lined single to left center,

    Bonds was next, and he lined Jackson's 1-1 curveball over the wall in left for a game-tying two-run homer, his thirty-eighth of the year. It was career homer Number 846. He's now twenty-two homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

    Before the standing ovation for Bonds could subside, Bobby Bonilla smacked Jackson's first offering over the center field wall for his thirty-fourth home run of the year to give the Bucs a 5-4 lead.

    In the sixth with the Reds leading 6-5, Sid Bream batted for reliever Stan Belinda and walked on five pitches, then stole second. Redus's single to right brought him home to tie the game at six. Redus tried to steal second but was thrown out by Reds catcher Joe Oliver for out number one. Bell struck out swinging for out number two,

    That brought up Bonds, who hit reliever Rob Dibble's 1-2 fastball into the second row of seats in left center for his second home run of the game and thirty-ninth of the year to give the Pirates a 7-6 lead. It was career homer Number 847. He's now twenty-one homers behind Oh.

    In the eighth, Lind led off by lining a double off the right field wall. Wally Backman batted for Pirates reliever Bob Patterson and struck out swinging for out number one, but Redus hit Reds reliever Rob Dibble's first-pitch fastball over the wall in center for a two-run homer to increase the Pirates' lead to 9-6. It was Redus's eighth home run of the year.

    Bell was retired on a comebacker to Charlton for out number two, but Bonds' bloop single to right center kept the inning alive. Barry stole second, but Bonilla struck out swinging to end the inning. Final score: Pirates 9. Reds 6.

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

    The Reds grabbed a quick lead with two runs in the top of the first. Center fielder Billy Hatcher led off with a base hit up the middle. He was bunted over to second by shortstop Barry Larkin, and first baseman Hal Morris followed with a double over Bonilla's head in right that brought Hatcher home to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Eric Davis grounded to short for the second out while Morris held, and right fielder Paul O'Neill lined a single to right that brought Hal home to make it 2-0.

    The visitors added two more runs in the top of the second. With one out, second baseman Mariano Duncan singled to right. Jackson bunted him over to second, and Hatcher's single to center brought him home to put the Reds up 3-0. Larkin followed with a bloop that fell in short left center field and rolled into the power alley. Hatcher scored easily, and it was 4-0 Cincy.

    The Bucs got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. With two out, Slaught lined a single up the middle. Center fielder Andy Van Slyke lashed a triple into the right field corner to score Slaught with the first Pittsburgh run. Lind was next, and he cracked a line drive into left center for a base hit to score Van Slyke and cut the Reds' lead to 4-2.

    The Pirates led 5-4 after five, but the Reds jumped back in front with two runs in the top of the sixth, Davis led off by hitting Walk's 2-2 fastball over the wall in left center for his twenty-fifth home run of the year to tie the game at five.

    O'Neill was next, and he grounded one deep in the hole at short. Bell made the stop, but his throw to first pulled Redus off the bag, and O'Neill reached on the error. He then stole second but had to hold while Belinda retired third baseman Cros Sabo on a foul pop to his counterpart King and catcher Jeff Reed on a bouncer to short, A walk to Duncan put two on, and Todd Benzinger was sent up to bat for reliever Rick Mahler. He lined Belinda's first pitch into left center for a base hit that brought O'Neill home, and the Reds led 6-5.

    Final totals: Pirates 9-14-1, Reds 6-10-0,

    W- Belinda (5-3)
    S- B. Landrum (13)
    L- Dibble (8-4)

    HR- CIN: Davis (25)
    PIT: Bonds 2 (39), Bonilla (33), Redus (8)

    DW- Charlton (11-9)

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

    Here are the updated standings in the National League West:

    Reds: 90-72
    Giants: 86-76- 4 GB
    Dodgers: 85-77- 5 GB
    (tie) Astros: 75-87- 15 GB
    (tie) Padres: 75-87- 15 GB
    Braves: 64-98- 26 GB

    In the East:

    Pirates: 98-64
    Mets: 91-71- 7 GB
    Expos: 85-77- 13 GB
    Cubs: 78-84- 20 GB
    Phillies: 76-86- 22 GB
    Cardinals: 69-93- 29 GB

    Bonds was named Player of the Game. He was three for five with two home runs and three RBIs. He's currently batting .311 (173-557) with thirty-nine home runs and 129 runs batted in.

    He's tied with the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg for the lead in National League home run race.

    He leads the National League with 129 runs batted in. As of this sentence, he leads the National League by four over his teammate Bonilla. He's second in the major leagues, three behind the Tigers' Cecil Fielder.

    He's moved up to fifth in the National League batting race. Lenny Dykstra of the Phillies is fourth with an unofficial average of .325.

    He's now scored 116 runs. As of this sentence, he's tied with Bonilla for the National League lead. They're second in the majors behind Rickey Henderson of the Athletics with 119.

    His on-base percentage has risen to .414. He's still third in the National League, just two points behind the Dodgers' Eddie Murray,

    His slugging percentage has risen to .592. He leads the National League by thirty-eight points over the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg, and he's tied for the major league lead with Fielder.

    He now has fifty-seven stolen bases. That's good for second in the National League, seven behind the Astros' Eric Yelding,

    He now has ninety-seven singles.

    His OPS is .,1.006. He leads the National League by seventy-one points over Murray, and he's just ten points behind Henderson for the major league lead.

    Bonilla scored a run and drove in a run in both the sim and the actual game. He and Bonds remain tied for the National League lead in runs scored with 116, and he still has 125 runs batted in, which is second in the National League, four behind Bonds.

    Next: The Pirates open their final series of the 1990 season against the Mets at Three Rivers on Monday, October 1. David Cone will start for the Mets, while Neal Heaton takes the ball for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
    Last edited:

    Garrett Garlits

    It's Monday, October 1, 1990, and the Pirates are hosting the New York Mets in the first game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. David Cone will pitch for the Mets, while Neal Heaton goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is batting sixth; he'll begin the game in left field, then move to first base in the seventh inning. The Mets won the actual game, 4-1.

    Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

    In the second, he struck out swinging.

    In the fourth with one out and the Pirates leading 1-0,, Bobby Bonilla singled to right center. Sid Bream lined a double off the wall in left center to score Bonilla and give the Bucs a 2-0 lead. Bonds popped to Dave Magadan at first for out number two..

    Catcher Don Slaught walked to keep the inning alive, and Jose Lindl's single to left brought Bream home to extend the Pirates' lead to 3-0. Heaton walked to load the bases, and center fielder R.J. Reynolds walked on a 3-2 pitch to force Slaught home and make it 4-0. Jay Bell was next, and he topped off the inning with a grounder that eluded Cone's glove and zipped into center field for a base hit. Lind and Heaton scored, and the Pirates led 6-0.

    In the fifth, Bonds grounded to third.

    In the eighth with the Pirates leading 6-4, Bonds hit a 1-2 fastball from Mets reliever Alejandro Pena over the right field wall for his fortieth home run of the year to extend the Pirates' lead to 7-4. It was career homer Number 848, He's twenty homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh. Our final: Pirates 7, Mets 4.

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

    The Pirates took the lead in the bottom of the first. King walked with two out and scored on Bonilla's double to right to put the home squad in front 1-0.

    The Mets scored for the first time in the top of the sixth. First baseman Dave Magadan clubbed Heaton's first-pitch fastball over the wall in left center field for a leadoff home run, his seventh home run of the year. The Mets now trailed 6-1

    The Mets scored three more runs in the top of the eighth. Center fielder Daryl Boston led off with a base hit to center. Magadan's fly to deep left was caught by Bonds at the wall for out number one. Third baseman Gregg Jefferies' single to left moved Magadan to third. Second baseman Tim Teufel was next, and he lined reliever Stan Belinda's 1-1 slider into the second row of seats in left center field to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 6-4. It was Teufel's eleventh home run of the year,

    Final totals: Pirates 7-6-1, Mets 4-7-1.

    W- Heaton (13-9)
    L- Cone (13-11)

    HR- NYM: Teufel (11), Magadan (7)
    PIT: Bonds (40)

    DL- Smith (12-8)

    Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 99-63
    Mets: 90-72- 9 GB
    Expos: 85-77- 14 GB
    Cubs: 78-84- 21 GB
    Phillies: 76-86- 23 GB
    Cardinals: 69-93- 30 GB

    Bonds was one for four with a home run. He's currently batting .310 (174-561) with forty home runs and 130 runs batted in.

    He's the new National League home run leader. Cecil Fielder of the Tigers leads the majors with fifty-one.

    He leads the National League in RBIs, and he's two behind Fielder for the major league lead.

    He's scored 117 runs. As of this sentence, he leads the National League, and he's two behind the Athletics' Ricky Henderson for the major league lead.

    He's (unofficially) tied for fifth in the National League batting race with the Cubs' Andre Dawson, The Phillies' Lenny Dykstra is (unofficially) fourth at .325.

    His on-base percentage is .413. He's third in the National League, three points behind the Dodgers' Eddie Murray.

    His slugging percentage is currently .595. He leads the major leagues by three points over Fielder.

    His OPS is 1.008. He leads the National League by seventy-three points over Murray. and he's just eight points behind Henderson for the major league lead.

    Bonilla was held without a run scored in the actual game, but he scored a run in the sim. He and Bonds are still tied for the National League lead in runs scored with 117,

    Bonilla didn't drive in a run in the actual game but had an RBI in the sim. He currently has 126 runs batted in, four behind Bonds for the National League lead.

    Next: Game 2 between the Pirates and the Mets on Tuesday, October 2. Dwight Gooden will pitch for the Mets, while John Smiley goes to the mound for the Pirates,

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Tuesday, October 2, 1990, and the Pirates are hosting the Mets in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Dwight Gooden will start for the Mets, while John Smiley takes the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will bat fifth, as his replacement R.J. Reynolds did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 9-4.

    Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

    In the first, Jay Bell walked with one out. Andy Van Slyke's grounder to short went through the legs on Mets shortstop Kevin Elster; Andy reached on the error. Bobby Bonilla's single to left brought Bell home, and the Pirates led 1-0. Bonds took a pitch off the side of his right knee to load the bases,

    Sid Bream was next, and he rolled one down to Dave Magadan at first. Magadan charged the ball and threw off-balance to the plate. After a moment's hesitation, home plate umpire Frank Pulli called Van Slyke safe, and the Pirates led 2-0. Catcher Mike LaValliere lined a double to left that scored Bonilla and Bonds to make it 4-0, and Jose Lind finished Gooden's evening with another double, this one off the wall in right. Bream and LaValliere scored, and the Bucs led 6-0 after one.

    In the second, Bell drew a leadoff walk. Van Slyke singled to right to put two men on, and Bonilla was hit in the knee by a pitch to load the bases. Reliever Ron Darling got the next two outs, as Bonds flew to Darryl Strawberry in shallow right and Bream struck out swinging, But LaValliere walked on five pitches to force Bell home with the seventh Pittsburgh run, and Lind drove in his third and fourth runs of the night with a single to center that brought home Van Slyke and Bonilla to make it 9-0 Bucs after two.

    In the fourth with the Pirates leading 9-1, Bonilla lined a leadoff single to left center. Bonds' fly to deep right was caught at the wall by Strawberry for out number one, but Bream's double off the center field wall scored Bonilla to put the Bucs in double digits. LaVallere's base hit to right put runners at the corners, and Lind's base hit to center scored Bream to make it 11-1 after four.

    In the fifth, Bell led off with a lined base hit to left center, With the National League East title wrapped up and this game decided, Pirates manager Jim Leyland began removing players after their at-bats so the fans could give them one last ovation. Bell was the first one to leave, and he was replaced at first by rookie Carlos Garcia, Van Slyke was next, and he belted a triple off the top of the wall in left. Garcia scored, and the Buccos led 12-1.

    Bonilla was hit in the left knee by a pitch for the second time tonight, and he was the next to exit; Steve Carter, another rookie, took his place at first. Bonds was next, and he rocketed a triple into the left field corner. Van Slyke and Carter scored, and the Pirates led 14-1. A wild pitch from a tiring Darling brought Bonds home, and the Bucs had fifteen runs.

    Bonds ended his evening when he led off the bottom of the seventh by hitting a 1-1 curveball from Mets reliever Dan Schatzeder over the left center field wall for his forty-first home run of the season and career homer Number 849. He's now nineteen home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh. The Pirates led 16-1, and Bonds took two curtain calls before exiting to a standing ovation. He was replaced in left field by Reynolds in the top of the eighth,

    The Pirates scored again in the inning when LaValliere doubled to right center. Eventual Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek ran for him and scored on a base hit by pinch hitter Randy Tomlin, who was batting for Smiley and would pitch the last two innings.

    The home squad finished their humiliation of the Mets with a three-run eighth. Garcia led off by hitting his first major-league home run to left. Van Slyke reached when new Mets center fielder Keith Miller misplayed his fly ball for a two-base error and scored on Carter's base hit to left. Reynolds' base hit to right center put two on, and Mark Ryal ran for Van Slyke. Gary Redus, who had replaced Bream at first, forced Reynolds, with Ryal moving to third. New catcher Tommy Prince walked to load the bases, and new second baseman Rafael Belliard's sacrifice fly to right center brought Ryal home. Our final score: Pirates 20, Mets 1.

    The Mets scored their only run in the top of the fourth. Strawberry drew a leadoff walk, moved to second when Smiley's pickoff attempt went into center field, and scored on second baseman Tim Teufel's double to left.

    Final totals: Pirates 20-20-1, Mets 1-5-2.

    W- Smiley (10-9)

    HR- PIT: Bonds (41), Garcia (1)

    DW- B. Landrum (7-3)

    LHR: NYM- Teufel (10)
    PIT- Bream (14)

    Bonds was two for four with a home run, three runs scored, and three RBIs. His final batting average for 1990 is .312 (176-565) with forty-one home runs and 133 runs batted in. He closes the year nineteen home runs behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

    He finished fifth in the National League batting race. Lenny Dykstra of the Phillies was fourth with an unofficial final average of .325.

    He's the National League home run champion, and he finished second in the major leagues, ten behind Cecil Fielder of the Tigers.

    He won the major-league RBI championship by one over Fielder, 133 to 132.

    He stole fifty-six bases, which was second in the National League, eight behind Eric Yelding of the Astros. That makes him just the second player in MLB history to hit forty home runs and steal forty bases in the same season. He would become the first player to repeat the feat in 1996. (The first player to do it was the Athletics' Jose Canseco in 1988.)

    His final on-base percentage is .413. He finished third in the National League, three points behind the Dodgers' Eddie Murray.

    He was hit by a pitch four times. He has four triples.

    He's the major-league leader in runs scored with 120, Henderson finished second with 119.

    His final slugging percentage was .601, which was the highest in the majors.

    His final OPS was.1.014, which was second in the majors, just two points behind Henderson.

    Bonilla scored one run in the actual game and four in the sim. That's a net gain of three, which means that he and Bonds will share the major league lead in runs scored with 120,

    Bonilla has two RBIs in both the actual game and the sim, He'll finish with 126, seven behind Bonds for the top spot in the majors.

    Here are the final standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 99-63
    Mets: 90-72- 9 GB
    Expos: 85-77- 14 GB
    Cubs: 78-84- 21 GB
    Phillies: 76-86- 23 GB
    Cardinals: 69-93- 30 GB

    In the West:

    Reds: 90-72
    Giants: 86-76- 4 GB
    Dodgers: 85-77- 5 GB
    (tie) Astros: 75-87- 15 GB
    (tie) Padres: 75-87- 15 GB
    Braves: 64-98- 26 GB

    Next: We resume our look at 1991 on Sunday, April 14, as the Pirates take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Bob Walk will start for the Pirates, while Rick Sutcliffe takes the mound for the Cubs.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Sunday, April 14, 1991, and the Pirates are taking on the Chicago Cubs in the third and final game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Bob Walk will pitch for the Pirates, while Rick Sutcliffe takes the ball for the Cubs. Bonds is in left field and will bat seventh, as his replacement Lloyd McClendon did in in real life. The Cubs won the actual game, 6-4. As we resume, Bonds is batting .291 (153-525) with twenty-five home runs and 116 runs batted in.

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

    In the first, second baseman Curtis Wilkerson led off with a double to center. Jay Bell followed with a single to left that scored Wilkerson and gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Andy Van Slyke was next, and he belted a triple off the top of the left field wall, just under the home run line, Bell scored easily, and the Bucs led 2-0.

    Bobby Bonilla bounced to third for the first out while Van Slyke stayed put, but Jeff King walked on four pitches to keep the inning alive. Next was first baseman Gary Redus, who hit a fly ball deep to left. The Cubs' George Bell made the catch two steps from the wall, with Van Slyke trotting home to make it 3-0 Pirates. Bonds' grounder to short ended the inning.

    In the fourth, Bonds' fly to center was caught on the warning track by the Cubs' Doug Dascenzo,

    In the sixth with the Pirates leading 3-1. Bonilla led off with a fly ball to right center that dropped on the warning track and hopped over the wall for a book-rule double. King took a called third strike for the first out, but Redus lined a single to left that scored Bonilla to make it 4-1 Pittsburgh. Bonds lined a double off the wall in left to brig Redus home and make it 5-1. Barry promptly stole third and scored on Slaught's double over George Bell's head in left. After five and a half, it was Pittsburgh 6, Chicago 1,

    In the eighth, King drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Bob Scanlan cane out of the Cubs bullpen to face Redus, who lined a double off the wall in center. King scored, and the Pirates led 7-1. Bonds walked to put two men on, but Slaught grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Reliever Stan Belinda batted for himself and flew to Dascenzo in shallow left center to end the inning.

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

    In the bottom of the first with one out and the Pirates leading 3-0, second baseman Ryne Sandberg beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. First baseman Mark Grace stroked a single to right, with Sandberg moving to third. George's fly to left center was caught by Van Slyke, but it was just deep enough to score Sandberg and put the Cubs on the board. They trailed 3-1 after one,

    In the bottom of the eighth with two out and the Pirates leading 7-1, Sandberg hit Walk's 1-1 slider over the wall in right center field for his twenty-sixth home run of the year to establish our final: Pirates 7, Cubs 2.

    Final totals: Pirates 7-10-0, Cubs 2-8-0.

    W- Walk (10-2)
    L- Sutcliffe (6-6)

    HR- CHC: Sandberg (26)

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

    DW- Slocumb (1-1)
    DS- Dave Smith (16)
    DL- Belinda (7-4)

    LHR- PIT: Bonilla (24), Walk
    CHC: Berryhill (4)

    Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 100-62
    Cardinals: 84-78- 16 GB
    Phillies: 78-84- 22 GB
    (tie) Mets: 77-85- 23 GB
    (tie) Cubs: 76-84- 23 GB
    Expos: 71-90- 28.5 GB

    Bonds was one for three plus a walk with a stolen base, a run scored, and an RBI, He's currently batting .292 (154-528) with twenty-five home runs and 117 runs batted in,

    Bonds leads the National League with 117 RBIs. He's currently third in the major leagues, five behind the Athletics' Jose Canseco for second.

    He scored his hundredth run of the season, which is good for sixth in the National League, one behind the Braves' Ron Gant.

    He stole his forty-fourth base of the year, which ties him for fourth in the National League with the Cardinals' Ray Lankford.

    He leads the National League with 110 walks. He's second in the major leagues, twenty-eight behind the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

    His current on-base percentage is .409. He leads the National League by eight points over the Dodgers' Brett Butler, and he's fourth in the major leagues, twelve points behind the Red Sox' Wade Boggs for third.

    He has ninety-four singles and thirty doubles. His slugging percentage remains at .509, which is good for fourth in the National League, eight points behind the Braves' Terry Pendleton for third.

    His OPS has risen to .918. He leads the National League by twenty-three points over the Giants' Will Clark. and he's seventh in the major leagues, four points behind the Rangers' Rafael Palmeiro for sixth.

    Next: The Pirates host the Mets in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers on Wednesday, April 17. Ron Darling will start for the Mets, while John Smiley takes the ball for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Wednesday, April 17, 1991, and the Pirates are hosting the Mets in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium, Ron Darling will start for the Mets, while John Smiley goes to the hill 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, 4-0.

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

    In the first, he flew to shallow center.

    In the third, his foul pop was caught by Mets third baseman Gregg Jefferies.

    In the fifth, his line drive was speared by Mets first baseman Dave Magadan.

    In the seventh with two out, Jose Lind lined a single to left center. Lloyd McClendon batted for Smiley and singled to right to put two men on, and Bonds walked to load the bases. Mets manager Bud Harrelson replaced Darling with reliever Jeff Innis, who caught Jay Bell looking at a 3-2 slider to retire the side with the bases still loaded.

    The Mets broke a scoreless tie in the top of the eighth. With two out, Magadan walked. Right fielder Hubie Brooks followed by hitting reliever Stan Belinda's 1-1 fastball over the right center field wall for a two-run homer, his sixteenth of the year, to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.

    The Mets added another run in the top of the ninth. With one out, second baseman Tommy Herr walked on five pitches, then stole second. Catcher Charlie O'Brien stroked a base hit to left center that brought Herr home and increased the Mets' lead to 3-0. O'Brien was thrown out at the plate by Pirates center fielder Andy Van Slyke later in the inning, and there was no further scoring.

    Final totals: Mets 3-10-0, Pirates 0-5-0.

    W- Innis (1-2)
    S- Franco (31)
    L- Belinda (7-5)

    HR- NYM: Brooks (16)

    DW- Smiley (19-8)
    DL- Darling (8-14)

    LHR- PIT: King (13)

    Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 99-63
    Cardinals: 84-78- 15 GB
    (tie) Phillies: 78-84- 21 GB
    (tie) Mets: 78-84- 21 GB
    Cubs: 76-84- 22 GB
    Expos: 71-90- 27.5 GB

    Bonds was hitless in three at-bats plus a walk. He's currently batting .290 (154-531) with twenty-five home runs and 117 runs batted in.

    He's walked 111 times, which leads the National League. He's twenty-seven behind the White Sox' Frank Thomas for the major league lead.

    His on-base percentage has dipped to .408. He leads the National League by eight points over the Dodgers' Brett Butler, and he's thirteen points behind the Red Sox' Wade Boggs for third place in the National League,

    His slugging percentage is now .507. He's fourth in the National League, ten points behind the Braves' Terry Pendleton for third.

    His OPS is .915, He leads the National League by twenty points over the Giants' Will Clark, and he's tied for seventh in the major leagues with the Athletics' Jose Canseco.

    Next: The Pirates travel to San Francisco to face the Giants on June 15 at Candlestick Park. Smiley will once again start for the Pirates, while Mike Remlinger gets the ball for the Giants.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Saturday, June 15. 1991, and the Pirates are facing the San Francisco Giants in the second game of a three-game series at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. John Smiley will start for the Pirates, while Mike Remlinger goes to the hill for the Giants. Bonds is in center field and will bat third, as his replacement Lloyd McClendon did in real life. The Giants won the actual game, 4-0.

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

    In the first, first baseman Gary Redus led off with a double to right center. Jay Bell followed with another double over Kevin Bass's head in right to bring Redus home and put the Pirates in front 1-0. Bonds' fly to right center was caught by Giants center fielder Willie McGee for the first out, with Bell moving to third. Bobby Bonilla's single to right scored Bell from third, and the Pirates led 2-0 after a half.

    In the third, Bonds' line drive was caught by Giants' second baseman Robby Thompson.

    In the sixth with the Giants leading 6-3. Bonds drew a leadoff walk but was thrown out trying to steal second. After Bonilla flew to left center for out number two, McClendon lined a base hit to right. Catcher Don Slaught followed with a bloop that dropped in left center for a double. McClendon scored, and the Giants' lead was cut to 6-4.

    In the seventh, second baseman Jose Lind led off with a grounder to third that was juggled and dropped by Giants third baseman Matt Williams. Chico reached on the error, and pinch hitter Andy Van Slyke (batting for reliever Vicente Palacios) singled to left center to put two men on. Reliever Jeff Brantley got the next three outs in order to retire the side: Redus took a called third strike, Bell struck out swinging, and Bonds grounded to first.

    In the ninth with one out and the Giants leading 8-4, Lind beat out a grounder to third for an infield single. Van Slyke, who had stayed in the game, hit what should have been a game-ending double play ball to Thompson, but the ball took a bad hop and glanced off of Robby's glove for an error. With the tying run in the on-deck circle, Giants manager Roger Craig called on closer Dave Righetti to face Redus, who flew to left center for the first out. Bell lined a single to right center that brought Chico home to make it 8-5 and moved Van Slyke to third.

    Now it was Righetti against Bonds, who was the tying run. Barry got ahead three balls and no strikes, but Righetti came back with two swinging strikes, then painted the outside corner with a slow curve for strike three to end the game as Bonds stared in frozen disbelief. Final score: Giants 8, Pirates 5.

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

    In the bottom of the first with the Pirates leading 2-0, left fielder Mike Felder led off with a lined single to right center. Thompson's single to left put runners at the corners. McGee followed with a fly ball to left center. Bonds made the catch, but Felder managed to cross the plate just ahead of Slaught's tag, and the Giants were on the board. Third baseman Matt Williams was next, and he smacked Smiley's 1-1 fastball over the wall in right center for a two-run homer to put the home squad in front 3-2. It was Williams' thirty-fifth home run of the year.

    In the bottom of the second with one out, Remlinger's bloop fell in left field for a base hit. Felder beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single to put two men on but was forced by Thompson. Remlinger moved to third on the out, and McGee brought both runners home with a double into the left center power alley. The Giants led 5-2 after two.

    In the top of the fourth, left fielder Lloyd McClendon led off by hitting Remlinger's first-pitch fastball over the left field wall for a home run to cut the Giants' lead to 5-3. It was McClendon's eighth home run of the year.

    In the bottom of the fifth, McGee and Williams drew back-to-back walks. Bass forced Williams. with McGee moving to third. First baseman Dave Anderson forced Bass, which allowed McGee to score and extend the Frisco lead to 6-3.

    In the bottom of the eighth with one out and the Giants leading 6-4, Kevin Mitchell batted for Brantley and hit reliever Stan Belinda's 0-2 fastball over the right center field wall for his twenty-eighth home run of the year to make it a 7-4 game. Felder and Thompson drew back-to-back walks to keep the inning alive, and Pirates manager Jin Leyland called on Bob Patterson to face McGee. Willie stroked Patterson's first pitch into left for a base hit, which brought Felder home to extend the Giants' lead to 8-4.

    Final totals: Giants 8-13-2, Pirates 5-9-0,

    Pitchers' records remain the same.

    S- Righetti (25)

    HR- PIT: McClendon (8)
    SF: Matt Williams (34), Mitchell (28)

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

    McGee was named Player of the Game. He was three for three plus a walk with a home run and four RBIs.

    Bonds was hitless in four at-bats plus a walk, He's currently batting .288 (154-535) with twenty-five home runs and 117 runs batted in,

    He's now walked 112 times, which is good for second place in the majors, twenty-six behind the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

    His on-base percentage has dipped to .407. He leads the Dodgers' Brett Butler by seven points in the National League, and he's twelve points behind the Red Sox' Wade Boggs for third place in the majors.

    His slugging percentage is .504. He's now seventh in the National League, one point behind the Reds' Chris Sabo for sixth.

    His OPS is .911. He has a sixteen-point lead over the Giants' Will Clark in the National League. He's fallen to eighth in the majors, four points behind the Athletics' Jose Canseco.

    As a bonus, let's calculate Clark's OPS. He was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter in the sim. His slugging percentage is .535, while his on-base percentage is .358. That means his OPS is .893. which gives Bonds an eighteen-point lead in the National League.

    Next: The Pirates take on the Phillies on September 15 at Veterans Stadium. Randy Tomlin will start for the Pirates, while Tommy Greene gets the ball for the Phillies.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Sunday, September 15, 1991, and the Pirates are battling the Phillies in the final game of a three-game series at Veterans Stadium. Randy Tomlin will start for the Pirates, while Tommy Greene goes to the mound for the Phillies. Bonds is in left field and will bat second, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Phillies won the actual game, 8-3.

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

    In the first with one out, Bonds singled to left. Third baseman Curtis Wilkerson followed with a double off the wall in center that brought Bonds home and gave the Bucs a quick 1-0 lead. Bobby Bonilla's double down the left field line cashed Wilkerson in, and it was 2-0 Pittsburgh.

    In the third with the Pirates leading 2-1, Andy Van Slyke led off by hitting Greene's two-ball pitch over the right field wall for his sixteenth home run of the year to increase the Pirates' lead to 3-1. Bonds' line drive was gloved by second baseman Randy Ready for out number one. Wilkerson lined a base hit to center but was thrown out trying to steal second. Bonilla walked to keep the inning alive, and first baseman Orlando Merced lined a base hit to right to put two men on. Catcher Mike LaValliere was next, ad he lined a base hit up the middle. Bonilla came home, and the Pirates led 4-1.

    In the fourth, Bell lined a leadoff single to center. Tomlin bunted him over to second, and Van Slyke lined a double off the wall in left center to score Bell and make it 5-1 Pirates.

    Bonds was next. and he smacked Greene's 3-1 changeup over the right center field wall for a two-run homer to give the Pirates a 7-1 lead. It was Bonds' twenty-sixth home run of the year and career homer Number 850. He's now eighteen homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh.

    In the sixth, Bonds drew a one-out walk. Wilkerson was called out on strikes for out number two, but Bonilla lined a double into the right center power alley to bring Bonds home and complete the scoring. Our final: Pirates 8, Phillies 1.

    In the eighth with one out, Bonds singled to right. Wilkerson flew to Murphy in shallow right for the second out, but Bonilla walked to put two men on. Merced's fly to shallow right ended the inning.

    The Phils scored their only run in the bottom of the second when right fielder Dale Murphy hit Tomlin's 1-0 fastball down the left field line and over the wall for his nineteenth home run of the year to cut the Pirates' lead to 2-1.

    Final totals: Pirates 8-14-0, Phillies 1-8-0,

    W- Tomlin (9-6)
    L- Greene (12-8)

    HR- PIT: Bonds (26), Van Slyke (16)
    PHI: Murphy (19)

    DS- Mitch Williams (29)

    LHR- PIT: Varsho (3)

    Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

    Pirates: 100-62
    Cardinals: 84-78- 16 GB
    Mets: 78-84- 22 GB
    (tie) Phillies: 77-85- 23 GB
    (tie) Cubs: 76-84- 23 GB
    Expos: 71-90- 28.5 GB

    Tomlin was named Player of the Game. He pitched a complete game, holding the Phils to one run on eight hits and striking out six. He threw 101 pitches.

    Bonds was three for four plus a walk with three runs scored, a home run, and two runs batted in. He's currently batting .291 (157-539) with twenty-six home runs and 119 runs batted in.

    Bonds' 119 RBIs lead the National League. He's currently third in the majors, three behind the Athletics' Jose Canseco for second.

    He's tied for tenth in the National League home run race with the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg and the Reds' Chris Sabo,

    He's walked 113 times. That's good for second in the majors, twenty-five behind the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

    He's scored 103 runs, which is good for fourth in the National League. He's unofficially one behind Sandberg.

    His on-base percentage is .410. He leads the National League by nine points over the Dodgers' Brett Butler, and he's fourth in the major leagues, eleven points behind the Red Sox' Wade Boggs for third.

    He now has ninety-six singles.

    His slugging percentage is .510. That's fourth in the National League, seven points behind the Braves 'Terry Pendleton,

    His OPS is .920. He leads the National League by twenty-seven points over the Giants' Will Clark, and he's seventh in the majors, two points behind the Rangers' Rafael Palmeiro for sixth.

    Next: The Bucs wrap up 1991 by visiting the Mets at Shea Stadium on Tuesday, September 24. Bob Walk will start for the Pirates, while Frank Viola takes the ball for the Mets.

    Thoughts?
     
    Last edited:

    Garrett Garlits

    It's Tuesday, September 24, 1991, and the Pirates are facing the Mets in the first game of a three-game series at Shea Stadium. Bob Walk will start for the Pirates. while Frank Viola heads to the mound for the Mets. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Gary Redus did in real life, The Pirates won the actual game, 10-8.

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

    In the first, he drew a leadoff walk. Jay Bell's single to right center put runners at the corners, and Bonds scored when Van Slyke forced Bell. The Pirates led 1-0 after a half,

    In the third, Bonds drew another leadoff walk. Bell's fly to deep left was caught by Kevin McReynolds at the wall for out number one. Van Slyke's lined single to right put runners at the corners, but Bobby Bonilla grounded into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.

    In the fourth with one out and the Pirates leading 2-0, third baseman Steve Buechele lined a single to left. Catcher Don Slaught's base hit to left center put runners at the corners, and second baseman Jose Lind made it three hits in a row with another lined single to left. Buechele scored, and the Bucs led 3-0, Walk hit what appeared to be a routine double play ball to short, but the Mets' Kevin Elster muffed it, allowing Walk to reach on the error.

    The bases were now loaded for Bonds, who unloaded them by swatting a 1-1 hanging slider from Viola into the second row of seats in right center field for a grand slam. It was his twenty-seventh home run of the year and career homer Number 851. He's now seventeen homers behind all-time leader Sadaharu Oh. The Pirates led 7-0.

    In the fifth, Bonilla drew a leadoff walk. First baseman Lloyd McClendon lined a base hit to left center to put runners at the corners. Buechele was next, and he hit a first-pitch fastball from Mets reliever Wally Whitehurst over the center field wall for a three-run homer to give the Bucs a 10-0 lead. It was Buechele's fifth homer as a Pirate and twenty-third homer of the year.

    Slaught kept the inning alive with a lined single to left, and Mets manager Bud Harrelson replaced Whitehurst with Sid Fernandez, who was normally used as a starter. Fernandez retired the side in order: Lind forced Slaught, Walk was called out on strikes, and Bonds' fly to right was caught by Mets right fielder Howard Johnson in foul territory.

    In the seventh with one out, Lind hit a grounder to his counterpart Keith Miller. The ball bounced off of Miller's glove, allowing Chico to reach on the error. Walk struck out swinging for the second out, but Bonds lined a single up the middle to put two men on. Bell's grounder to Miller at second ended the inning.

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

    In the top of the second with two out and the Pirates leading 1-0, Slaught beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single. Lind was next, and he hit a vloop to left center that fell in and rolled to the wall for a double. Slaught scored, and the Pirates led 2-0,

    In the top of the sixth with two out and the Pirates leading 10-0, Bonilla hit Fernandez's 1-1 slider down the left line and over the wall for his twenty-fifth home run of the year to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 11-0.

    In the bottom of the ninth, third baseman Gregg Jefferies broke up the Bucs' shutout by hitting a 1-2 fastball from reliever Vicente Palacios into the fourth row in right center field for his tenth home run of the year. Right center field is 378 feet from home plate at Shea Stadium; the estimated distance on Jefferies/ home run was 408 feet. Final score: Pirates 11, Mets 1.

    Final totals: Pirates 11-15-0, Mets 1-4-2,

    W- Walk (11-2)
    L-Viola (13-15)

    HR- PIT: Bonds (27), Bonilla (25), Buechele (23)
    NYM: Jefferies (10)

    DW- Patterson (3-3)
    DS- Rodriguez (5)
    DL- Innis (1-1)

    LHR- NYM: Johnson (37), Boston (3)

    Bonds was two for three with two runs scored, a home run and four RBIs. His final batting average was .293 (159-542) with twenty-seven home runs and 123 runs batted in,

    He finished tenth in the National League home run race, one behind the Giants' Kevin Mitchell for ninth.

    He won the National League RBI championship with 123, He finished second in the major leagues, ten behind the Tigers' Cecil Fielder.

    He walked 115 times, which led the National League. He finished second in the majors, twenty-one behind the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

    He scored 105 runs, which is good enough for an unofficial third in the National League, three behind Johnson. (Note: Johnson's stats are unofficial,)

    His final on-base percentage was ,413, highest in the National League by twelve points over the Dodgers' Brett Butler. He finished fourth in the majors, eight points behind the Red Sox' Wade Boggs.

    His final slugging percentage was .517. which ties him for third in the National League with the Braves' Terry Pendleton.

    He finished with ninety-seven singles.

    His final OPS was .930, which was best in the National League by thirty-seven points over the Giants' Will Clark, He finished fourth in the majors, ten points behind the Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr.

    Next: We resume our look at the 1992 season, as the Pirates host the Phillies on Sunday, April 19. Kyle Abbott will start for the Phillies, while Bob Walk again gets the call for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Sunday, April 19, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Philadelphia Phillies in the third and final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium, Kyle Abbott pitches for the Phillies, while Bob Walk takes the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will bat fourth, as his replacement Gary Varsho did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 11-0. As we resume, Bonds is batting .316 (154-488) with thirty-five home runs and 107 runs batted in.

    Let's examine Barry's at-bats first:

    In the first, right fielder Kirk Gibson led off by hitting Abbott's 1-2 fastball over the wall in right center field for his third home run of the year to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead, Abbott got the next two outs, as Jay Bell grounded to first and Andy Van Slyke's popup was caught by Phils second baseman Mickey Morandini, Bonds walked to keep the inning alive and subsequently stole second, but first baseman Orlando Merced struck out swinging to end the inning.

    In the fourth, Bonds grounded to second,

    In the sixth with one out, Van Slyke hit a triple off the top of the wall in right. Bonds struck out swinging for out number two, but Merced stroked a single to right center that brought Andy home and made it 2-0 Pirates.

    In the seventh, catcher Mike LaValliere lined a leadoff single to right center. Second baseman Jeff King flew to center for the first out, but Walk batted for himself and lined a single to left to put two men on. Gibson followed with a bouncer to third that ticked off the glove of Phillies third baseman Dave Hollins. Gibson reached on the error, and the bases were loaded. Bell took a called third strike for out number two, but Van Slyke smacked a single to left that brought LaValliere and Walk home to establish our final: Pirates 4, Phillies 0.

    Final totals: Pirates 4-8-1. Phillies 0-6-1.

    W- Walk (12-6)
    S- Belinda (22)
    L- Abbott (1-15)

    HR- PIT: Gibson (3)

    DW- Patterson (5-3)
    DL- Cox (5-2)

    LHR- PIT: Varsho (3), McClendon (2)

    Bonds was hitless in three at-bats plus a walk, He's now batting .314 (154-491) with thirty-five home runs and 107 runs batted in.

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

    He's walked 135 times, which leads the majors by thirteen over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

    He stole his forty-third base of the season, which ties him for fifth in the National League with the Cardinals' Ozzie Smith.

    His on-base percentage is now .461. He leads the majors by twenty-two points over Thomas.

    His slugging percentage is now .621. He leads the majors by thirty-five points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

    His OPS is 1,082. He leads the majors by 107 points over Thomas.

    Now it's bonus time. Kruk came into the game batting .327. He was hitless in three at-bats in the actual game but was two for four in the sim. His average has thus risen to .330 (168-509), which ties him with Gary Sheffield atop the National League batting race.

    Van Slyke was three for three in the actual game and two for four in the sim. He's currently batting .321 (198-616), which leaves him fifth in the National League batting race, two points behind the Reds' Bip Roberts for fourth.

    Van Slyke is second in the National League in hits, one behind the Braves' Terry Pendleton,

    Next: The Bucs host the Phils again on Tuesday, June 16. Ben Rivera will start for the Philles, while Bob Walk again gets the ball for the Pirates.

    Thoughts?
     
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    Garrett Garlits

    It's Tuesday, June 16, 1992, and the Pirates are hosting the Phillies in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Ben Rivera will start for the Phillies, while Bob Walk takes the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in left field and will lead off, as his replacement Cecil Espy did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game 6-5 in twelve innings.

    Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

    In the first, he struck out swinging.

    In the third with the Phillies leading 4-0, catcher Mike LaValliere drew a leadoff walk. Jose Lind's single past a diving Rivera and into center put two men on, and a wild pitch moved the runners up. Drabek struck out swinging for out number one, but Bonds walked to load the bases. Jay Bell was next, and he lined a base hit to left center. LaValliere scored easily to put the Bucs on the board, and Lind was waved around third by Pirates third base coach Rich Donnelly. The relay throw to the plate from Phils shortstop Mariano Duncan was right on target, but Chico slid around the tag of Phils catcher Darren Daulton to score the second Pittsburgh run. Bonds moved to third on the play.

    Andy Van Slyke was next. and he forced Bell, which allowed Bonds to score and further trim the Phils' lead to 4-3. A walk to first baseman Orlando Merced put two men on again, but right fielder Gary Varsho struck out swinging to end the inning.

    In the fifth, Bonds drew a leadoff walk. After Bell was called out on strikes for out number one, Barry stole second. Van Slyke was next, and he lined Rivera's 1-1 pitch over the wall in left for a two-run homer to give the Bucs a 5-4 lead. It was Van Slyke's seventeenth home run of the year.

    in the sixth with the score tied at five, LaValliere drew a leadoff walk. Lind's fly to shallow center was caught by the Phils' Lenny Dykstra for the first out. John Wehner batted for Drabek and beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single to put two men on. Bonds drew his third consecutive walk to load the bases. and Bell stroked a single to left center that brought LaValliere and Wehner home to put the Pirates up 7-5. Bonds moved to third on the hit. New reliever Mike Hartley came out of the Philly pen to restore order, retiring Van Slyke on another shallow fly to Dykstra in center and Merced on a force play that eliminated Bell to end the inning.

    In the eighth, Bonds beat out a grounder to third for a leadoff infield single. He moved to second on Bell's grounder to third but was stranded there when Van Slyke struck out swinging and Merced popped to Mickey Morandini at second.

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

    The Phillies scored four times in the top of the second. First baseman John Kruk led off with a base hit to left. Daulton walked to put two men on, and right fielder Ruben Amaro hit a bouncer to short that was bobbled by Bell. By the time he found the handle, Amaro had reached and the bases were loaded. Left fielder Tom Marsh smacked the first pitch he saw past Drabek and up the middle, Kruk and Daulton scored, and the Phillies led 2-0. Amaro went to third on the play, and he came home when Morandini forced Marsh. Rivera bunted Morandini over to second, and Dykstra smacked a double off the left center field wall to score Morandini and make it 4-0 Phils.

    In the sixth with one out and the Pirates leading 5-4, Marsh hit a 2-1 hanging slider from Drabek over the wall in left center for a home run to tie the game at five. It was Marsh's third home run of the year.

    The Bucs led 7-5 entering the top of the seventh, but the Phils scored twice to retie the game. Dykstra beat out a bouncer to short for a leadoff infield single. He was forced by Duncan for out number one, but third baseman Dave Hollins lined a double off the wall in right to score Mariano and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 7-6. Kruk walked to put two men on, and Daulton lined a single up the middle to load the bases. Dale Murphy came off the Philly bench to bat for right fielder Ruben Amaro, and Pirates reliever Bob Patterson walked him on a three-two pitch to force Hollins home and tie the game at seven.

    Pirates manager Jim Leyland replaced Patterson with Roger Mason, who caught Marsh looking at strike three for the second out, then retired Morandini on a fly to Van Slyke in left center to end the inning.

    The Phils retook the lead in the top of the ninth when Hollins lined a first-pitch fastball from Pirates reliever Denny Neagle over the wall in straightaway center for his twenty-seventh home run of the season. As we headed to the bottom of the ninth, it was Phillies 8, Pirates 7.

    Mitch Williams came into the game to close things out for the visitors, but Varsho greeted him with a lined single to right. Third baseman Steve Buechele's single to left put runners at the corners, but Murphy, who had stayed in the game in right, made a diving catch of LaValliere's shallow fly for out number one. Lind was next, and he served a bloop down the left field line and into the corner for a double. Varsho scored from first, and we were tied at eight. Jeff King came out of the dugout to bat for Neagle, and he lined The Wild Thing's first pitch into left field for a base hit. Chico scored, and the Bucs had a thrilling 9-8 comeback victory.

    Final totals: Pirates 9-12-1, Phillies 8-10-0.

    W- Neagle (5-6)
    L- M. Williams (5-9)

    HR- PHI: Hollins (27), Marsh (3)
    PIT: Van Slyke (16)

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

    DW- Patterson (4-3)
    DL- Brantley (2-5)

    LHR- PHI; Duncan (7)
    PIT: Bell (7)

    Bonds was one for two with three walks and two runs scored. He's currently batting .314 (155-493) with thirty-five home runs and 107 runs batted in.

    He's walked 138 times, which leads the majors by sixteen over the White Sox' Frank Thomas.

    He's scored 117 runs, which gives him the major league lead by three over the Tigers' Tony Phillips.

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

    He stole his forty-fourth base of the season, which puts him in a three-way tie for third in the National League with the Reds' Bip Roberts and the Astros' Steve Finley.

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

    His slugging percentage remains at .621. He still leads the majors by thirty-five points over the Athletics' Mark McGwire.

    His OPS is 1.084. He leads the majors by 109 points over Thomas.

    Now it's bonus time. Kruk was one for four in the actual game and one for three in the sim. His batting average has risen to .331 (168-508), which gives him the National League lead by a point over the Padres' Gary Sheffield.

    Van Slyke was three for five in the actual game and one for five in the sim. He loses two hits, which drops his batting average to .318 (196-616). He's fourth in the National League, five points behind Roberts, He's also three behind the Braves' Terry Pendleton for the National League lead in hits,

    Next: Game 3 between the Phillies and the Pirates on Wednesday, June 17. Tommy Greene will start for the Phillies, while Randy Tomlin gets the ball for the Pirates,

    Thoughts?
     
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