Series Wrapup

Story

Having posted a losing record in six of the seven previous seasons, the Atlanta Braves became the talk of the baseball world early in 1982, when they won their first 13 games under new manager Joe Torre.  Although the Braves barely played over .500 ball the rest of the year, they hung tough in the pennant race and ended up making the playoffs for the first time since 1969.  Atlanta finished the campaign with a record of 89-73, just one game ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers, and only two games in front of the third-place San Francisco Giants. 

Led by N.L. MVP Dale Murphy, the Braves topped the senior circuit with 739 runs scored and 146 home runs.  Murphy batted .281, stole 23 bases, led the league with 109 runs batted in, and placed among the leaders with 36 homers and 113 runs scored.  Bob Horner provided ample assistance to Murphy in the middle of Atlanta’s lineup, finishing second on the team with 32 home runs and 97 runs batted in.  Meanwhile, Phil Niekro headed Atlanta’s rather mediocre pitching staff, compiling a record of 17-4 and an ERA of 3.61.

The second-place Dodgers had superior pitching to Atlanta, leading the league with a team ERA of 3.26.  Fernando Valenzuela and Jerry Reuss anchored the Los Angeles starting rotation, combining to win 37 games between them.  Valenzuela finished among the league leaders with a record of 19-13, a 2.87 ERA, 199 strikeouts, 285 innings pitched, and 18 complete games.  Reuss finished 18-11 with a 3.11 earned run average.  The Dodgers also had one of the better offenses in the senior circuit, placing fourth in the league rankings with 691 runs scored.  N.L. Rookie of the Year Steve Sax provided speed at the top of the batting order, batting .282, scoring 88 runs, and stealing 49 bases.  Pedro Guerrero served as the team’s primary power threat, finishing first on the club with 32 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and a .304 batting average.

The National League East also featured a tight pennant race, with the St. Louis Cardinals returning to the postseason for the first time since 1968 by finishing three games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies, with a record of 92-70.  The Montreal Expos came in third in the division, six games off the pace.

The young Expos had a deep squad that featured Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Gary Carter, and Al Oliver.  Dawson hit 23 homers, batted .301, scored 107 runs, and stole 39 bases.  Raines scored 90 runs and led the league with 78 stolen bases.  Carter hit 29 home runs, knocked in 97 runs, scored 91 others, and batted .293.  Oliver, the second-oldest member of the team at age 35, earned a third-place finish in the N.L. MVP balloting by hitting 22 home runs, scoring 90 runs, and leading the league with 109 runs batted in, a .331 batting average, 204 hits, and 43 doubles. 

The runner-up Phillies were again led by the tandem of Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton.  Schmidt batted .280, finished among the league leaders with 35 home runs and 108 runs scored, and topped the circuit with a .407 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging average.  Carlton compiled a 3.10 ERA and led all N.L. hurlers with 23 wins, 286 strikeouts, 295 innings pitched, 19 complete games, and six shutouts, en route to capturing Cy Young honors for the fourth time in his career.

Although the Cardinals hit only 67 home runs as a team and finished just fifth in the league with 685 runs scored, they had more depth on their roster than either the Expos or the Phillies.  George Hendrick batted .282 and led the team with 19 home runs and 104 runs batted in.  Keith Hernandez knocked in 94 runs, batted .299, and finished second in the league with a .404 on-base percentage.  Rookie outfielder Willie McGee batted .296 and stole 24 bases.  Lonnie Smith batted .307, led the N.L. with 120 runs scored, and stole 68 bases. Joaquin Andujar and Bob Forsch each won 15 games, and Andujar placed among the league leaders with a 2.47 ERA and 265 innings pitched.  Bruce Sutter topped the circuit with 36 saves.

The National League Championship Series proved to be no contest, as the Cardinals swept the Braves in three straight games.  St. Louis outscored Atlanta by a combined margin of 17-5, out-hit them, 34-15, and surrendered only one extra-base hit to Atlanta’s lineup the entire Series.

After losing Game One of the World Series to Milwaukee by a score of 10-0, the Cardinals rebounded to take three of the next five contests.  Game Three turned into a showcase for Willie McGee, who hit two home runs and made a circus catch at the centerfield wall.  The Cardinals then fell behind early in the decisive seventh contest by a score of 3-1.  However, they rallied to score five unanswered runs, bringing home the world championship for the first time in 15 years with a 6-3 victory.

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• June 20 – Pete Rose became only the fifth player in history to play in 3,000 major league games.

• July 19 – Tony Gwynn made his major league debut for the San Diego Padres, collecting the first two hits of his Hall of Fame career.

• Joaquin Andujar posted two victories for the Cardinals in the World Series.

• The National League won its 11th straight All-Star Game, 4-1 at Montreal.

• Although his .204 batting average was the lowest by a first baseman with more than 400 at-bats since 1901, New York's Dave Kingman led the National League with 37 home runs.

• The Mets re-acquired Tom Seaver from Cincinnati for three players.

• The Phillies dealt Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Ivan DeJesus.

• Manny Trillo set a new record for second basemen by handling 479 consecutive chances without an error.

• Willie Stargell retired after 21 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• Montreal's Steve Rogers finished second in the league with 19 wins and topped the circuit with a 2.40 ERA.

Seasons of the National League

1876 · 1877 · 1878 · 1879 · 1880 · 1881 · 1882 · 1883 · 1884 · 1885 · 1886 · 1887 · 1888 · 1889 · 1890 · 1891 · 1892 · 1893 · 1894 · 1895 · 1896 · 1897 · 1898 · 1899 · 1900 · 1901 · 1902 · 1903 · 1904 · 1905 · 1906 · 1907 · 1908 · 1909 · 1910 · 1911 · 1912 · 1913 · 1914 · 1915 · 1916 · 1917 · 1918 · 1919 · 1920 · 1921 · 1922 · 1923 · 1924 · 1925 · 1926 · 1927 · 1928 · 1929 · 1930 · 1931 · 1932 · 1933 · 1934 · 1935 · 1936 · 1937 · 1938 · 1939 · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010