European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Baseball �?T90red-hot reds could still fizzle outcast starts done to always guarantee Good season by Ben Walker a baseball writer what do fast starts mean a great finishes or great flops. Both according to baseball history. The Cincinnati reds Are the 11th team to Start a season with at least nine straight victories. Of the previous 10, five finished in first place and two of them the 1984 Detroit tigers and 1955 Brooklyn dodgers wound up winning the world series. A you know you re going to lose sooner or later but its a positive influence Detroit a Alan Trammell said. A it gives a contagious Ness that it la be a Good season. There is a carryover for the rest of the then there were the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers. They tied a major league record by winning their first 13, then lost the next 12. The Brewers finished third in the american league East. A it was bad pitching. Anytime you go into a slump it is because of bad pitching a Milwaukee Relief Ace Dan Plesac recalled. A Good pitching overshadows All of everything so How much will it mean to the reds who finally lost sunday to Atlanta after going 9-0? a what it does is Send out a Strong signal that they re loaded a tigers manager Sparky Anderson said. A it does a lot of Good things. It says that Lou Piniella is a pretty Good manager that Cincinnati has a very Good club and that he is handling it cautioned Trammell a a they a better enjoy this while they can. Its too Early to say if this is their a baseball is such a Long season i done to care who you Are you re going to have a bad stretch too. The important thing is to keep those stretches Short a Trammell said. A i done to think it puts any extra pressure on the other teams. You know nobody a going to go undefeated. But these games Are just As important As the ones you win in the reds longest winning Streak since 1975 helped them take an Early three game Lead Over los Angeles. A a it a Only 10 games into the season. Its Good to be on top but there a still 152 to play a said reds shortstop Barry Larkin who leads the majors with a .512 batting average. A a 10-game winning Streak Isnit going to win the Pennant for Well it might. Atlanta started the 1982 season with 13 straight victories and won the National league West on the final Day when san Francisco beat los Angeles eliminating the dodgers. A getting off like that that a what won it for us because we Only won by one game and later we lost 19 out of 21,�?� Atlanta a Dale Murphy said. A you feel like you can to lose. You just go out somehow feeling you re going to win. You can feel Bill Russell now a coach for the dodgers remembers How los Angeles chased the braves the entire 1982 a in a sure it was a big Confidence builder for Atlanta to win 13 in a Row. You done to have to win them in september a Russell said. A but because of the consistency we played with and the fact that Atlanta was up and Down Dale Murphy shares High fives with Atlanta teammates after the braves halted the reds nine game charge. And did no to play with that much consistency we never thought we were out of it until the last Day of the season. A not to take anything away from an organization like that but you know that you be got other teams behind you that sooner or later Are going to Start catching up a he said. A so in a sure they never knew they were going to win it until Joe Morgan hit that Home run off Quot of Terry the Oakland athletics won their first 11 in strike split 1981 and won the Al West. The next year the Chicago White sox and then manager Tony la Russa opened with eight straight victories but finished third at 87-75. A i think you have to look at How you re winning the games. If everybody on the team is playing above their Heads it can get scary. You done to know How Long it will last a said la Russa now Oakland a manager. A in 1988, we had a 14-game Streak during the season. Look at the Way we were winning those games. We had Guys making a Good play on defense pitching a Good game getting a key hit and a Good reliever closing it out. Nothing spectacular nobody really playing Way above their level. You had to think to yourself a what a to prevent us from keeping this up a a maybe that a what the dodgers thought in 1955. They started the season with 10 victories and went on to bring the Only world series championship to Brooklyn. Maybe the 1962 Pittsburgh pirates and 1966 Cleveland indians thought the same thing. They each started the season with 10 victories but Pittsburgh wound up fourth and the indians came in fifth at 81-81. The 1944 St. Louis Browns 1918 new York giants 1940 Brooklyn dodgers and 1984 tigers each won their first nine games. The Browns won their Only Al Pennant while the giants and dodgers both finished second. That 1984 tigers team was one of the few that managed to stay hot. They raced to a 35-5 Start and eventually ran away with the Al East. A but even when we were 35-5, we had a series with Toronto and when it was Over they were Only three games out a Detroit a Dan Petry remembered no matter How Good a Start you get you have a lot Jett to play. The season Isnit going to be decided in april. Wiki aim us Iava. A _ _ panic Over three inning Rule a waste of fret _. Ltd i _ pm ii lnptn/1 by the associated press no asterisks no problems. That darned three inning Rule Wasny to Worth the Flap it caused anyway. T of so it Cost Frank Tanana Eric King Walt Terrell Jaime Navarro and r9y Smith one Victory each. Maybe some rotis serie league players lost out too. But those Are the Only ones it affected and the integrity of the game was preserved. And that a what everyone was so worried about Isnit itt a it does no to bother me a Tanana said. A pm Fine either the great debate started last month when the official rules makers decided that starting pitchers would need to go just three innings instead of the usual five to get a Victory. Oakland manager Tony la Russa was among those who liked the idea and its intent to protect pitchers who did no to work much during the lockout abbreviated Spring training. The change was to be in effect for just two weeks. Right away a lot of people panicked afraid the alteration would somehow skew those All important baseball statistics and suddenly turn 10-game winners into 20-game winners. So when owners and players could not agree to switch the Rule it stayed the same and everyone breathed a deep a and needless a sigh of Relief. Even if the Rule had been adopted it would be ended sunday. It have made much of a difference either. In a grand total of five games a starting Pitcher who went less than five innings would have gotten a Victory. That s All. On the second Day of the season King ditched four innings and was relieved with the Chicago White sox leading Milwaukee 1-0. Chicago wound up winning 5-3 and the Victory went to Kings successor Scott Radinsky who pitched 1 a innings. King still without a decision was to Start tuesday night at Texas. I Wasny to really against the Rule or for it a King said. A it seemed like that would be a pretty easy Tanana thought he was headed toward a Victory when Detroit took an Early 8-2 Lead against Boston on april 12. He left after 4% innings after giving up three More runs and reliever Urbano Lugo got credit for the win As the tigers held on 11-7. A i did no to do the Job and that a the Way it goes a Tanana said. �?o1 was capable of going five and i did no to do it. I did no to get the one key out. There Are always key outs in a ballgame and its Tough to win if you done to get neither Navarro Smith nor Terrell has a Victory yet. If any of them wind up with 19 wins they can blame the three inning Rule for costing them no. 20. Last wednesday Milwaukee gave Navarro a 9-2 Lead. But he left after allowing nine hits in four innings and Tony Fossas got the Victory As the Brewers beat Texas 11-6. The same Day Smith lasted 4% innings and was relieved with Minnesota ahead of Seattle. The twins held on and Terry Leach got the win. On Friday Terrell pitched 4 a innings and left with Pittsburgh leading Chicago. The pirates won 9-4 and the Victory went to Mike Rocs or who pitched Only one inning. A they told me a no they did not put that Rule into effect a a Navarro said. A that does no to bother me. All you can do is go out and pitch. The Only thing i hate is losing.�?�. La Russa As it turned out did no to miss the Rule that never existed. He like other managers was concerned that some pitchers who were tired might try to stay in games a Little longer so they lose out on victories. A if the whole concept of the Rule was to keep pitchers from injury to keep them healthy then in a still in favor of it a la Russa said
