IN THE NEWS: The Giants move past the Reds into first place with a 122 win over Montreal.
Willie Davis, who cracks a single and double, ties the club record of hitting in 29 straight games. The mark was set by Zack Wheat in 1916, and Davis will double tomorrow to break it. Andy Kosco adds four straight hits as the Dodgers beat the visiting Mets, 106. Jerry Koosman is kayoed after a 1/3 of an inning and takes the loss against Jim Bunning.
IN THE NEWS: Ralph Houk signs a new 3-year contract with the Yankees at $65,000 a season, the highest managerial salary in either league, and Joe Pepitone is reinstated.
IN THE NEWS: The Reds Jim Maloney stops the slumping Cubs on two hits to win, 20. Bill Hands takes the loss. It's Maloney's 9th career two hitter; he's thrown three no-hitters and five one-hitters. The Cubs lead slips to four games.
Collared his first four times up, Tommy Davis hits a double in the 9th inning to stretch his hit streak to 31 games. The double drives in the winning run as LA tops the Mets 54. The Mets had tied in the 8th when Tommie Agee and Donn Clendenon each homered with a man on.
IN THE NEWS: After hitting in 31 straight games, the 3rd-best streak (since 1900) in National League history, the Dodgers Willie Davis is stopped in a 30 loss to San Diego. Al Ferrara drives in all three runs.
Down 41 in the 9th against the Tigers in Detroit, Baltimore gets consecutive home runs from Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, and Brooks Robinson off Earl Wilson to tie. Tom Timmermann then gives up the winning run on a double, sac fly, and Baltimore chop as the O's win, 54.
IN THE NEWS: Billy Williams has all four of Chicago's hits, as the Cubs lose a 92 decision to Steve Blass and the Pirates. There's nothing cheap about Billy's hits -- two doubles and two homers -- as he sets an National League record for most hits in a game with no other hits, tying the major-league record of Norm Elberfeld (August 1, 1903). Blass helps his own cause with his only ML homer, a 3-run blast, off Ken Holtzman, and three singles. The win is Pittsburgh's first at Wrigley since July 5, 1968, a string of 13 losses. They'll win the next two to sweep the series and drop the Cubs lead to two 1/2 games.
IN THE NEWS: At Shea Stadium, the Mets top the Cubs 32 on Tommie Agee's 2-run home run. Jerry Koosman beats Bill Hands and strikes out 13 Cub batters. Chicago has now lost five in a row and leads the Mets by one 1/2 games.
IN THE NEWS: With a 32 win, Tom Seaver hands Chicago its 6th straight loss, giving the Mets a sweep of two games. New York now trails the Cubs by one-half game.
Atlanta's Phil Niekro joins the 20-win circle for the first time with a 21 defeat of the Dodgers. The victory pulls the Braves into 3rd place, 1 1/2 games from the National League West lead.
IN THE NEWS: The Cubs drop a 62 decision to the Phils, and drop to 2nd place, one game in back of New York. The Cubs are out of first place after 155 days atop the National League East.
Meanwhile the Mets sweep the Expos, 32 and 71. Ken Boswell's single in the 12th wins the opener. Taylor in relief of Jim McAndrew, who pitches the first 11 innings, is the winner. Mike Wegener matches McAndrew for 11 innings, striking out 15 Mets. In the night cap, the Mets score six runs in the 3rd to knock out starter Howie Reed. The winner is Nolan Ryan (61), who gives up three hits and fans 11. The Mets' two wins puts them into first place by a game, the 1st time ever the team has been atop the NL. The Cubs' loss drops them out of first after 155 days atop the NL. Chicago will continue to swoon and finish the month with a 9-17 record.
Using a major-league record 27 players in one game, the Royals lose 114 at California. Andy Messersmith faces 20 different batters in the complete game win, while KC uses six pitchers. Bubba Morton plays just three innings but drives in five runs.
IN THE NEWS: The Cubs take a 10 lead into the 3rd inning against the Phils when, with a 32 count on Dick Allen and runners on 1st and 2nd, pitcher Dick Selma unexpectedly throws to 3B instead of to home. The throws sails over the head of a surprised Ron Santo and the Phils Tony Taylor scores the tying run. Selma and Santo had practiced the move in spring training, but had never used it during the season. The Phils go on to win again over Chicago.
IN THE NEWS: Juan Marichal (18-10) pitches a one-hitter, as the Giants beat the Reds 10, but Atlanta takes the National League West lead by beating Houston 43. Tommy Helms' 3rd-inning single is the only hit in what Marichal calls "my best game ever."
Pitchers Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell both hurl 10 wins and drive in the winning runs, as the hot Mets sweep the Pirates. The Cubs, meanwhile, win, snapping their 8-game losing streak, but now trail by two 1/2 games.
IN THE NEWS: Bobby Bonds becomes the 4th 30-homer, 30-steal player in ML history, but the Reds beat the Giants 64. His 32nd steal, on August 13th, erased Willie Mays's SF record of 31.
Detroit is eliminated when they lose to the Senators, 116. The Nats score five in the 5th, three coming home on a Ken McMullen homer, one of his four hits in the game. Detroit rallies in the 6th on Willie Horton's 3rd grand slam of the year, but McMullen knocks home another two runs to give Darold Knowles (7-3) the win over Tom Timmermann.
Baltimore becomes the American League East champs when Tom Phoebus wins the clincher 105 over Cleveland. Baltimore is 18 games ahead of Detroit with 17 to play.
IN THE NEWS: Steve Carlton of the Cardinals fans a ML-record 19 batters and still loses. Ron Swoboda hits a pair of 2-run home runs, and New York beats St. Louis 43.
The Dodgers sweep a pair from the Reds, winning the nitecap in 12 innings. Jim Brewer wins both games with an inning of relief in the opener and four more in the 2nd game.
IN THE NEWS: The great race in the National League West finds San Francisco ahead in the morning, Los Angeles in front in the afternoon, and Atlanta atop the division at the end of the night. Houston nips the Giants 21 while Atlanta takes the Dodgers 65.
IN THE NEWS: Bob Moose stops the pennant-bound Mets 40 with the National League's record 5th no-hitter of the season. Moose is now 12-3. But the Mets will win their next nine games.
IN THE NEWS: Willie Mays joins Babe Ruth in the 600-homer club with a blast off Mike Corkins, while batting for rookie George Foster. Bobby Bonds sets a major-league record with his 176th strikeout, as San Francisco beats San Diego 42.
The Twins clinch the American League West when Bob Miller beats Kansas City 43.
Tom Seaver, who has not lost since early August, tops the Cardinals' Nelson Briles for a 31 victory. In game 2, Buddy Harrelson singles off Bob Gibson in the 11th inning to give the Mets a 32 win. With the Cubs losing to Montreal 73, the Mets now lead the National League East by six games with six to play.
IN THE NEWS: Dick Williams is fired as manager of the Red Sox. Coach Eddie Popowski becomes interim manager.
Umpires Bill Valentine and A.L. Salerno hit baseball with a $4 million antitrust suit.
In his last ML at bat, John Miller homers off the Reds' Jim Merritt, but the Dodgers lose 63. In 61 plate appearances over three years, Miller's only other home run was on September 11, 1966, for the Yankeesin his first ML at bat.
The Braves move into 1st place by pounding the Astros 102. George Stone is the winner over Jim Bouton.
IN THE NEWS: Home runs by Donn Clendenon and Ed Charles, and Gary Gentry's 4-hitter, clinch the National League East pennant for the Mets 60 against Steve Carlton and the Cards. As the game ends, a large number of the 54, 928 fans pour onto the field ripping up huge chunks of sod. Seven fans suffer fractures in the celebration.
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