Outcome: L
Score: 2-7
Streak: L1
Record: 37-73
Rank: 7th
GB: 29
Today was Old Timers Day and there would be a short game between the "Equitable All Stars" and the "Orioles Old-Timers" before the Orioles took on the Brewers. I was out at the Stadium this afternoon - I had even bought a good seat in the lower deck for the game. The "Equitable All Stars" had a strong 1970's Oakland A's theme as they were managed by Alvin Dark and featured Bert Campanaris, Joe Rudi and future Hall Of Famer Rollie Fingers. The 1970's Pirates and Mets were well represented as well with Dave Cash, Dock Ellis, Richie Hebner and Al Oliver from the former and Wayne Garrett, Jerry Koosman, Jerry Grote and Ron Swoboda from the latter. Bernie Carbo and Willie Davis were also on the team. The Orioles Old Timers consisted of Steve Barber, Paul Blair, Don Buford, Al Bumbry, Terry Crowley, Mike Cuellar, Moe Drabowsky, Andy Etchebarren, Dick Hall, Larry Haney, Elrod Hendricks, Bob Johnson, Eddie Watt and Hall Of Famer Brooks Robinson. Gene Woodling managed the team with current Orioles manager Frank Robinson assisting as a coach. I do not know if Drabowsky called the opponents bullpen and using an imitation of Dark's voice got a pitcher warming but it had happened before.
The game was supposed to only go three innings but it was tied 1-1 after three so they decided to play one more inning. Rules were a little lax. Watt relieved Cuellar on the mound in third for the Birds and then again in the fourth. The Orioles Old-Timers ended up with a walk off victory when Hendricks connected for a three run home run off of Fingers in the bottom of the fourth. I'm fairly certain Fingers grooved the ball for Elrod - he met Elrod at third and ran home with him.
Here's the coverage about the festivities from the next day's Evening Sun:
There was still a regular game to be played but this one wasn't as much fun for the home crowd as the Old Timer Game was. It looked promising early - the Brewers got a run in the top of the first off a Rob Deer RBI single but the Orioles got a two run home run from Cal Ripken in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. But then the top of the second happened.
It was another one of "those" innings that so frequently plagued the team this season. Greg Brock singled off of Jim Traber's glove at first to start the inning and Charlie O'Brien followed with a ground ball that third baseman Rick Schu made a bad throw on. Brock moved to second and O'Brien was safe at first. It looked like the Orioles would get out of it when starter Jeff Ballard got the next two batters (Dale Sveum and Jeff Leonard) to fly out but Cal Ripken misplayed Juan Castillo's ground ball which allowed Brock to score the tying run. Robin Yount untied it with a double that brought O'Brien and Castillo in to score. The relay throw from Bill Ripken to Terry Kennedy at the plate attempting to catch Castillo got away from Kennedy which allowed Yount to move to third on the play. Deer then hit a ground ball to Traber at first that he couldn't get a grip on - Deer ended up with an infield single and Yount scored the fourth run of the inning. Finally Ballard got Paul Molitor to ground into a force out to end the inning.
The Orioles pretty much were done after that. They only got two more hits the rest of the game off Brewers pitchers Mike Birkbeck and Odell Jones. Meanwhile the Brewers scored a couple more runs off the bat of Deer with a solo home run in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh.
Here's the game story from the next day's Evening Sun:
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