A day after an 11-inning win in the opener of the NL Championship Series, the Pirates beat the Reds, 3-2, in ten innings. The win came on an RBI hit by Dave Parker, after the Pirates blew a ninth-inning lead.
The game once again featured strong starts on both sides. The Pirates’ Jim Bibby gave up just a run on four hits over seven innings. He walked four and struck out five. Frank Pastore for the Reds was nearly as good, allowing two runs over seven innings.
Bibby had some trouble early. He survived a pair of walks in the first, then gave up singles to Dan Driessen and Ray Knight to open the second. Driessen went to third on Knight’s hit, and stayed there when Bibby fanned Cesar Geronimo. Pastore, though, lifted a fly ball to center deep enough to score the run.
Bibby got out of trouble in the third when Dave Concepcion doubled with one out and George Foster walked. With Johnny Bench up, Ed Ott caught Concepcion trying to steal third. Bench then popped up.
The Pirates never threatened until the fourth, when Tim Foli, Parker and Willie Stargell all singled to start the inning. Pops’ single, though, was actually a deep fly that Foster misjudged. Foli and Parker both held up, but Stargell continued on toward second, then had to scramble back to first, where he was thrown out. The Pirates ended up with one run on a ground out by Bill Madlock, tying the game.
In the fifth, the Pirates took a 2-1 lead on a disputed call. Phil Garner hit a liner that right fielder Dave Collins dived for. He came up with the ball, but it was ruled a trap and went for a single. Bibby bunted Garner up and, with two out, Foli ripped a double down the line past third.
The Pirates had the next scoring chance in the top of the seventh. Ott singled and, one out later, Bibby bunted him up. Omar Moreno singled to left, but Foster threw Ott out at the plate.
Bibby stranded a Reds’ runner at second in the bottom of the seventh. In the eighth, Pastore left of Dave Tomlin, who gave up a two-out double to Pops, but Tom Hume came on to get John Milner and end the inning. Chuck Tanner brought in Grant Jackson to face Joe Morgan in the bottom half of the eighth, then went to Enrique Romo to face the Reds’ right-handed hitters after Jackson got Morgan. Romo, though, gave up singles to Concepcion and Foster, so Tanner went to his ace, Kent Tekulve. Teke wild pitched the runners to second and third. He got out of it, though, by fanning Bench and, after walking the left-handed Driessen, getting Knight on a fly ball.
The bottom of the ninth didn’t go as well. With one out, pinch hitter Hector Cruz doubled and Dave Collins followed with another double, tying the game, 2-2. Lefty Dave Roberts came on to face Morgan and walked him. Tanner then went to Don Robinson, who fanned Concepcion and got Foster on a grounder.
In the top of the tenth, Moreno led off with a single against Doug Bair. Rather than have the NL’s leading base stealer test Bench, Tanner had Foli bunt him up. The Cobra justified with decision with an RBI single, putting the Pirates up, 3-2. Bair walked Stargell intentionally, moving Parker into scoring position, but he was stranded there. It didn’t matter, though, as Robinson got Bench, Driessen and Knight on a strikeout and two fly balls.
The Pirates now lead the series, 2-0. After a day off, the series moves to Three Rivers Stadium, where the Pirates will have three chances to put it away.
