21-3K CLEMENTE'S 3,000 HITS
CLEMENTE 1-5, 1 RBI
CASH, STARGELL HR
PIRATES 5, BRAVES 2
Tuesday, May 9th, 1972

ATLANTA - Dave Cash drove in 2 runs, 1 with a HR and was 3-5, leading the Pirates to a 5-2 win over Atlanta.
Roberto Clemente was 1-5 with 1 RBI, pulling within 95 base hits of 3,000.

Clemente's single drove in Cash for the 1st Pirates run. Clemente was then singled home by Richie Hebner to make it 2-0 in the top of the 1st. In the third, Willie Stargell hit his 5th HR of the year with a solo shot to put the Bucs ahead 3-1. Stargell leads the Bucs with 15 RBIs. Clemente now has 6.

Cash hit a 2 out solo HR in the 4th to double the score at 4-2. His double in the 8th drove in Bob Robertson to make it 5-2 Bucs. Cash now has 3 RBIs. Hebner has nine.

Bruce Kison retired the side in the 8th and 9th innings to record his 2nd save.

Dock Ellis (3-1) got the win. Tom Kelley (1-3) took the loss.
 
Tomorrow, the Pirates will play game 2 with Atlanta. Bob Johnson (0-1) vs knuckleballer Phil Niekro (3-3).
In memory of Mr.Les Banos.

Comment (0)

In 12 days, both here and abroad, The Avengers (TA) has grossed $641 million. Disney should replace iconic Mickey Mouse with a chubby “Cash Cow” as its megahit is on track to become the biggest moneymaker in cinematic history. TA is loud, long and exciting. The silly plot about the theft of “the” cosmic cube (the Tesseract) by Thor’s adopted brother Loki is just an excuse to bring Marvel’s superheroes together to retrieve it. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has the most ridiculous costume – helmeted, he resembles a giant dung beetle. Hi-tech Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has the best lines, but no-tech Hulk gets the biggest laughs. In the beauty race, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) just sprints past Thor (Chris Hemsworth)…maybe? Initially, the superegoed superheroes fight amongst themselves, but, just in the nick of time, they join forces to defeat an alien invasion spewing through a sinister-looking wormhole pulsating in the smoggy sky above New York City. The two coolest CGIs were the aircraft aircraft carrier (you’ll understand when you see the movie) and the aliens’ metallic, Chinese-like dragonships. The acting’s passable; the plot’s plodding and the prose, well, prosaic – throw in terrific action sequence after action sequence, and you have the perfect recipe for a gigantic summer-blockbuster (during springtime).

Comment (2) Read More...

21-3K CLEMENTE'S 3,000 HITS
CLEMENTE 3-5, 2 RBI's
STARGELL 2 HR's
PIRATES 9, REDS 6
Sunday, May 7th, 1972

CINCINNATI - The Pirates got 4 runs in the 7th and held off a 2 run Reds rally to squeak by Cincinnati 9-6. Roberto Clemente was 3-5 with 2 RBIs, pulling within 96 base hits of 3,000.

Clemente's single in the 1st drove in Rennie Stennett with an unearned run. Stennett reached 1st on an error by 2B Joe Morgan.
Morgan rebounded with a 2 run homer in the 3rd, in which the Reds took a 4-3 lead. Willie Stargell tied the game with a solo homer in the 6th.
Pittsburgh rallied when Stennett and Al Oliver got 2 out singles. Clemente singled home Stennett. Stargell followed with a 3 run homer, his 2nd of the game. The Bucs held off another Reds rally when Bobby Tolan and Cesar Geronimo hit solo homers to make it 8-4, Pirates. Clemente got a run back when he doubled in the top of the 9th and scored on Richie Hebner's single.
Nelson Briles (2-0) got the win. Jack Billingham (0-5) took the loss.
 
The Pirates will now move to Atlanta for a 2 game series. Game 1 on Tuesday features Dock Ellis (2-1) vs Tom Kelley (1-2).

In memory of Mr.Les Banos.

Comment (0)

21-3K CLEMENTE'S 3,000 HITS
CLEMENTE GETS HIT 2,900
PIRATES 8, REDS 1
Saturday, May 6th, 1972

CINCINNATI - Roberto Clemente got his 2,900th career hit when he led off the 3rd inning with a single in the Pirates' 8-1 rout of the Reds.

Clemente was 2-5 in the game and now needs just 99 base hits to reach 3,000 hits.
Leading the Reds 2-0, Clemente's lead off single in the 3rd was followed by singles by Willie Stargell and Richie Hebner. Clemente and Stargell scored on Manny Sanguillen's double. Sangy now has 11 RBI's. The Pirates then led 7-0.
Clemente got his 2nd hit of the game with a lead off single in the 7th. He scored an unearned run when Gene Alley reached fIrst on an error by reliever Wayne Simpson.
Steve Blass (2-1) got the win. Starter Pedro Borbon (0-1) took the loss.
 
Game 3 on Sunday features Nelson Briles (1-0) vs Jack Billingham (0-4).

In memory of Mr.Les Banos.

Comment (0)

Ah... time for summer tennis leagues again and that old familiar tightening of the sphincter as I try and eek out a win over a slightly superior opponent.  Nothing like feeling the rubber hitting the road.

Comment (0) Read More...

Life is loss and to rail against it is folly. But when life cannot be easily lost, it becomes most precious.

Comment (6) Read More...

21-3K CLEMENTE'S 3,000 HITS
PIRATES CLIP ASTROS 3-2
SIX GAME LOSING STREAK OVER
CLEMENTE 0-3, BB
Wednesday, May 3rd, 1972

PITTSBURGH - The Pirates scored the first 3 runs of the game. They held off the Astros to snap a 6 game losing streak with a 3-2 win.
Roberto Clemente was 0-3. He still needs 103 hits to get to 3,000. Clemente did reach on an error in the 1st and got a lead off walk in the 7th.
Dave Cash scored the Bucs' 1st run (unearned) in the 1st on a sacrifice fly. Rennie Stennett drove in 2 runs in the 2nd with a triple. Stennett, starting in left field, has 8 RBI's so far.
The Astros scored a solo run in the 6th off winner Dock Ellis (2-1) and a solo run in the 7th off of Bruce Kison SV-1). Jerry Reuss took the loss (2-1).  
The Pirates finish their 2nd homestand of the 1972 season with a 2-6 record. They'll begin an 8 game road trip on Friday against the Reds and will also visit Atlanta and Houston.

In memory of Mr.Les Banos.

Comment (0)

Speculating Jordan Staal's summer of '12

Comment (0) Read More...

21-3K CLEMENTE'S 3,000 HITS
ASTROS PIRATES RAINED OUT
Tuesday, May 2nd, 1972

PITTSBURGH - The Pirates avoided their 6th straight loss due to a rain out.
Monday's game was delayed 57 minutes due to rain.


Clemente was 3-5 with his first home run of the year and his 1st 3 RBI's of the year on Monday. He needs 103 hits to get to 3,000.
 
Tuesday's game has not been rescheduled. On Wednesday, its Jerry Reuss vs Dock Ellis. Both were scheduled to start Game 2.
In memory of Mr.Les Banos.

Comment (0)

Christmas came early to the South Side. Not only did top talent fall to the Steelers in the first round, but it happened again in the second and later in the fifth.

Comment (0) Read More...