HENDERSON'S HR IN 12TH BACKS MESSERSMITH'S MARATHON EFFORT
Atlanta Starter Works into 12th
MONTREAL, July 20 (AP) - Ken Henderson's two-run home run in the top of the 12th
gave his team the lead and the Atlanta Braves held on to edge the Montreal
Expos, 4-3, at Jarry Park. Braves right-hander Andy Messersmith became the
first major league starting pitcher to work into the 12th inning of a game
before being relieved by Mike Marshall who overcame a jam to finish off the
victory. Messersmith allowed only five hits in 11-plus innings but three
of those safeties were solo home runs--two of them off the bat of Andre
Thornton--accounting for all of Montreal's runs.
The game started unremarkably. Atlanta scored first. In the top of
the second, Dave May drew a lead-off walk from Expos starter Don Carrithers,
advanced to second on Darrell Chaney's ground out and scored when Rod Gilbreath
doubled to right-center. Center fielder Ellis Valentine then misplayed
Messersmith's fly ball for an error, giving the Braves runners on first and
third but they failed to extend their lead when Jerry Royster rolled into an
inning-ending double play.
The Expos evened the score in the bottom of the inning on Thornton's lead-off
home run into the left field bleachers, the first baseman's 12th long ball of
the season and ninth since joining the Expos following a trade with the Chicago
Cubs in mid-May.
Things remained quiet thereafter as both Messersmith and Carrithers worked
through the seventh inning with few scoring opportunities. But the Braves
finally broke the deadlock in the top of the eighth. Biff Pocoroba drew a
lead-off walk and was replaced at first base by pinch runner Craig
Robinson. Jimmy Wynn followed by lacing a sharp single to center with
Robinson advancing to second base. Sensing fatigue setting in, Montreal
manager Karl Kuehl replaced Carrithers with Chip Lang. Willie Montanez was
due next and he dropped a single into shallow left field. Jerry White
nabbed the ball on one bounce, came up throwing and cut down Robinson at the
plate. Wynn and Montanez, however, alertly advanced a base on the throw,
leaving Atlanta with runners on second and third and one out. Ken
Henderson lifted what appeared to be a sacrifice fly to center field but, for
the second time, Valentine misplayed the ball into an error. Wynn scored,
giving the Braves a 2-1 lead, and Montanez advanced to third. May then
drew a base on balls, filling the sacks. But Atlanta blew a chance to add
an insurance run. Chaney's swinging bunt was fielded by catcher Barry
Foote who stepped on home plate for a force and Gilbreath grounded to second to
end the inning.
The inability to add to the lead would prove costly to the Braves when, with two
outs in the bottom of the inning, pinch hitter Jose Morales squared up
Messersmith's 0-1 offering and drove it just inside the left field foul pole for
his fourth home run of the year and a tie ball game.
Both clubs went quietly in the ninth and tenth innings. In the bottom of
the 11th, White drew a two-out walk and Valentine followed with a single,
chasing White to third. But Messersmith calmly retired Mike Jorgensen on a
grounder to third to extinguish the threat.
In the 12th inning, with Steve Dunning beginning his fourth inning of relief,
Wynn walked with one out. Montanez popped up for the second out of the
inning but Henderson lined a 2-2 offering over the fence near the right field
line for a two-run homer and a 4-2 lead.
Braves manager had Mike Marshall warmed up but elected to send Messersmith back
to the mound to open the bottom of the 12th. On the very first pitch of
the inning, Thornton drilled his second home run of the game, cutting the Expos'
deficit to a single run. Messersmith, clearly exhausted, then walked Larry
Parrish and Bristol raced out of the dugout to give Marshall the ball. Tim
Foli tried to sacrifice the tying run into scoring position but fouled off two
offerings to fall behind 0-2. Marshall made the issue moot, uncorking a
wild pitch, allowing Parrish to move to second. Foli then lifted a fly
ball to the warning track in left field. May caught it for the first out
of the inning but Parrish tagged and moved to third. The Braves pulled the
infield in and saw the tactic pay off when Foote chopped a grounder to Montanez
at first. Parrish had to hold at third and Atlanta was one out from a
win. Marshall then fired a high 0-2 fastball past Pepe Frias to end the
game.
Messersmith (9-8) is only the second major league pitcher--and the only National
Leaguer--to work through the 11th inning this season. Mark Fidrych of the
Detroit Tigers tossed 11 complete innings in a 3-2 loss to Kansas City on June
16.
7/20/1976, Atl76-Mon76, Parc Jarry 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E LOB DP 1976 Braves 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 4 8 0 11 2 1976 Expos 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 5 2 5 1 Braves AB R H BI AVG Expos AB R H BI AVG Royster 3b 5 0 0 0 .276 White,J lf 3 0 0 0 .257 Pocoroba c 3 0 1 0 .236 Valentine,E cf 5 0 1 0 .338 Robinson,C pr 1 0 0 0 .176 Jorgensen rf 5 0 0 0 .245 Gaston ph 1 0 0 0 .421 Thornton 1b 5 2 2 2 .200 Belloir ss 0 0 0 0 .250 Parrish 3b 3 0 0 0 .197 Wynn cf 5 2 1 0 .185 Foli ss 5 0 0 0 .236 Montanez 1b 5 0 2 0 .309 Foote c 5 0 0 0 .245 Henderson,K rf 5 1 1 3 .243 Frias 2b 4 0 1 0 .308 May,D lf 4 1 1 0 .225 Carrithers p 1 0 0 0 .133 Chaney ss 4 0 1 0 .268 Lang p 0 0 0 0 .000 Correll c 1 0 0 0 .261 Morales,Jo ph 1 1 1 1 .358 Gilbreath 2b 4 0 1 1 .259 Dunning p 1 0 0 0 .000 Messersmith p 5 0 0 0 .189 38 3 5 3 Marshall p 0 0 0 0 .000 43 4 8 4 Braves INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Messersmith W 9-8 11.0 5 3 3 4 2 133 83 2.63 Marshall S 10 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 13 10 3.92 12.0 5 3 3 4 3 146 93 Expos INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Carrithers 7.0 5 2 2 4 2 125 75 4.90 Lang 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 25 15 3.90 Dunning L 4-3 4.0 2 2 2 2 3 58 33 3.60 12.0 8 4 4 7 5 208 123 Atl: Robinson,C ran for Pocoroba in the 8th Robinson,C moved to ss in the 8th Correll inserted at c in the 8th Gaston batted for Robinson,C in the 12th Belloir inserted at ss in the 12th Mon: Morales,Jo batted for Lang in the 8th E-Valentine,E 2. 2B-Montanez(19), Gilbreath(8). HR-Henderson,K(12), Thornton 2(13), Morales,Jo(4). RBI-Henderson,K 3(46), Gilbreath(11), Thornton 2(31), Morales,Jo(18). SB-Gilbreath(4). K-Royster 2, Wynn, Messersmith 2, Thornton, Frias, Carrithers. BB-Royster, Pocoroba, Wynn, Montanez, May,D 2, Gilbreath, White,J 2, Parrish 2. SH-Carrithers. SF-Henderson,K. HBP-Frias. HB-Messersmith. WP-Marshall, Carrithers. GWRBI: Henderson,K Temperature: 76, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 2 MPH. Attendance: 5,387 Game Time: 3:07