This multi-part series talks about how the Brewers got to the World Series and offers a timeline of the 1982 campaign, including player profiles, game recaps, and other events that affected the season.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Game 3: McGee’s two homers lead Cards past Brewers
St. Louis (Joaquín Andujar, 15-10) at Milwaukee (Pete Vuckovich, 18-6)
Willie McGee smacked a pair of round-trippers in the Cardinals’ 6-2 victory, giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead in the Series. He also played Gold Glove defense, robbing at least one home run while making another stellar grab. During the regular season, McGee hit just four home runs in 422 at-bats.
After Pete Vuckovich retired the Cardinals in order in the opening inning in front of a County Stadium-record crowd of 56,556, Paul Molitor led off the bottom half with a long drive to center field that had extra bases written all over it. McGee raced back and made a nice leaping grab in front of the ‘402’ sign, much to the disappointment of the large gathering.
Both Joaquín Andujar and Vuckovich were formidable in the first four innings, with St. Louis managing only a single (more about that later) and a walk, while Milwaukee had a double and a walk, but no runs to show for it.
George Hendrick led off the second with a high chopper down the third-base line. Molitor gloved it waist-high and fired it to Cecil Cooper at first. The throw pulled Cooper off the bag toward foul ground, and Hendrick beat the throw by a quarter-step. First-base ump Dave Phillips waved off the play, thinking the ball was foul. But when third-base ump Jim Evans came over and stated it was a fair ball, Phillips called the runner safe. Manager Harvey Kuenn came out to argue, but after talking with Cooper and Hendrick, who was chuckling, went back to the dugout, shaking his head. Hendrick was given a base hit, snapping an 0-for-7 slump. Vuckovich got out of the inning with three ground ball outs.
The Cardinals got on the board first in the top of the fifth. Lonnie Smith walked, and Dane Iorg reached on an error by Cooper, bringing up McGee. Batting left-handed against Vuckovich, McGee ripped the first pitch over the ‘362’ sign in right-center for a three-run homer.
The score was still 3-0 when the Cards tacked on two more runs in the seventh. Smith lined a ball to the wall in right-center with one out, and when the throw to third from Jim Gantner skipped into the dugout, Smith trotted home with the fourth run. Two batters later, McGee struck again off ‘Vuke,’ stroking the ball over the right-field fence to make it 5-0.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Ted Simmons lined a ball off Andujar’s right knee, allowing Simmons to reach first base. Jim Kaat replaced Andujar and gave up a single to Thomas to put runners at first and second. When right-handed hitting Don Money was announced as a pinch-hitter, Doug Bair entered the game for St. Louis. He walked Money to load the bases. Closer Bruce Sutter came in and got Charlie Moore on a foul pop to third, ending the promising frame.
The Brewers finally got to Sutter in the eighth, when Robin Yount walked and Cooper sent a fly ball out of the park in right field to cut the lead to 5-2. St. Louis got back one run in the top of the ninth, however, when Ozzie Smith walked with the bases loaded, forcing in Hendrick to make it 6-2, which would be the final.
McGee went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Andujar allowed three hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings before leaving with the injured leg. For Milwaukee, Gantner had a pair of hits.
Game 4: Six-run frame turns the table on St. Louis
St. Louis (Dave LaPoint, 9-3) at Milwaukee (Moose Haas, 11-8)
The St. Louis Cardinals scored four runs in the first two innings to take the air out of the Milwaukee crowd of 56,560 in Game 4. Hendrick had an RBI single in the first, and then Tom Herr hit a sacrifice fly to deep center in the second inning that scored speedsters McGee and Ozzie Smith. A slip by Gorman Thomas made it relatively anticlimactic, but the fun part is to note that both Thomas and Smith (not to mention the announcers on the broadcast) were anticipating Smith trying to score even before Thomas made the catch.
Ken Oberkfell scored an unearned run to give the Cards an early 4-0 lead.
“We gave them four runs in the first two innings on a silver platter,” Molitor said. “The only good thing about it was that we had eight chances left to get the four runs back.”
The Brewers would only need six more innings to do just that. The two teams traded runs in the bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth to set the stage for the epic finish.
The Milwaukee Brewers probably thought, ‘here we go again’ as they entered the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1. It looked especially gloomy for the Brewers when they had two outs with two men on.
St. Louis closer Sutter had appeared in the previous two games—earning a victory and a save—and would not enter the contest; that gave the Brewers hope.
“When Sutter didn’t come in to face Molitor, I knew we wouldn’t see him today,” said Simmons.
Gantner doubled to score Ben Oglivie and move Money to third, chasing Dave LaPoint in favor of right-hander Doug Bair. Molitor walked to load the bases, and Yount stroked a base hit to right that scored a pair and moved Molitor to third.
Manager Whitey Herzog brought in the left-handed Kaat to face Cooper. The Brewers’ first baseman slapped an opposite-field single that scored Molitor to tie the game and moved Yount to second.
Reliever Jeff Lahti came in mid-batter and intentionally walked Simmons. Gorman Thomas then singled to left center, scoring Yount and Cooper to give the Brewers a 7-5 lead.
Jim Slaton, who came in for starter Moose Haas, started his third inning (the eighth) by walking Darrell Porter and striking out Lonnie Smith before allowing a single to Iorg, putting runners on the corners. Lefty Bob McClure came in and induced a 4-3 double play, getting the Brewers out of the inning.
McClure closed the game by retiring the side in order in the ninth, to tie the Series at two games apiece. Slaton and McClure combined to allow one hit and two walks in 3 2/3 innings of relief. Yount, Cooper, and Money all had two hits for the Brewers.
“It was a must-win game for us today,” Gantner said. “If we lose today, we’re down 3-1 and not many teams come back from that.”
Instead, it was 2-2 and the Brewers would have one more chance to win at home, where they won three straight against California in the ALCS.
Game 5: Caldwell earns victory despite giving up 14 hits
St. Louis (Bob Forsch) at Milwaukee (Mike Caldwell)
The two teams combined for 26 hits as the Brewers held off the Cardinals 6-4 in Game 5.
The Brewers scored first in the bottom of the first, on an RBI groundout by Simmons that scored Yount after an errant pickoff throw by Bob Forsch that moved runners into scoring position. The Cardinals knotted the score in the third, when ex-Brewer David Green scored on a two-base hit by Keith Hernandez. Cooper made it 2-1 in the bottom half, plating Molitor on a 3-1 groundout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Molitor stroked a line drive to left field that scored Moore to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead. The Cards came back in the top of the seventh with Hendrick’s single to center, which scored Ozzie Smith to cut the lead to 3-2. Yount hit a solo shot to the opposite field in the bottom half to boost the lead to 4-2.
Once again, Sutter came into the game in the eighth, even though St. Louis was two runs down. Sutter allowed a single and a walk but had two outs when Moore came to the plate. The Brewers’ right fielder singled to right-center to score Oglivie, and then Gantner singled to score Money to make the score 6-2.
“I just brought him in tonight so we could stay close,” Herzog said of Sutter. “Then he gives up two runs.”
Lucky for the Brewers that they did score those runs, because the Cards matched that in the top of the ninth to cut the margin to two runs before McClure replaced Caldwell and allowed a single before getting the final two outs for the Milwaukee victory, earning his second save. Hernandez had an RBI double before Hendrick hit a run-scoring single to make it 6-4.
Caldwell allowed 14 hits, four runs, and two walks in 8 1/3 innings, after throwing a three-hit shutout in Game 1.
“I looked up at the scoreboard a couple times, and it even amazed me that they had so many hits,” Caldwell noted. “But I didn’t feel too badly. This was a close ballgame, and it meant more to me to win today because we’re ahead in the Series.”
Although the Brewers committed an error, they made several outstanding defensive plays in the game. In the fourth inning, Molitor leaped in the air to spear a chopper, stepped on third, and fired to first for a double play. Moore made a diving catch of a Lonnie Smith line drive in the fifth, and finally, Cooper made a diving stop and threw from his knees to Caldwell covering first for the final out of the seventh inning.
The Brewers were led by Yount, who went 4-for-4 to give him a pair of four-hit games in the Series, and was slashing .524/.565/.810 across 23 plate appearances. Oglivie and Moore each had two hits.
For St. Louis, Hernandez, Hendrick, and Oberkfell each had three hits in the contest.
“You have to like being in the position of having to split the last two games of the season,” Molitor said. “But we know we are going to see a lot of red [in St. Louis].”
Coming soon: Part 9 (Games 6-7 in St. Louis).
*All quotes/comments appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal, October 1982
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