The Brew crew needed to take a minimum of 3 games in this series to have any hopes at a post season birth. A 6 run 7th inning gave the Brew Crew a 10-0 lead that they would not relinquish, even though Chicago did manage to come back and score 5 runs over the last 3 innings to make it interesting. Milwaukee starter Lary Sorensen (6-3, 4.40) did his best Jack Morris impersonation by pitching to the level of his competition. Ben Oglivie hit his 10th homer of the season and Cecil Cooper went 4 for 5. White Sox starter Lamar Hoyt had his worst outing of the year giving up 6 runs in 4 innings of work.[GAME 2 - Comiskey Park - CHW 10, MIL 9]
The "shootout in the south side" could have easily been the eptiath for Milwaukee's season. The Brew crew had a 3 run lead heading into the bottom of the 9th when reliever Bob Galasso decided to be philanthropic. After getting the first out in the inning starter Mike Caldwell gave way to Galasso in order to get the more promising right/lefty matchups. Galasso was only able to get 1 out before lead off hitter Rudy Law single home 2 runs to win it in walk off fashion. With this loss the Brew crew had no margin for error left and now had win the final 2 games of the series.
[GAME 3 - County Stadium - MIL 5, CHW 4]
The visitors from the south side of the windy city jumped out to a 3-0 lead off of Brewer starter Jim Slaton. Rudy Law picked right up where he left off the previous day by singling and stealing second to help manufacture the Chisox first run. Then in the second inning Law singled home Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines with 2 out to make it 3-0. Floyd Bannister was in a groove and Milwaukee's famed "wallbanger" lineup could not solve him until the 5th when they were able to scratch out a run when Paul Molitor singled home Don Money. Cecil Coopers room service 6-4-3 DP ended the inning and limited the damage to 1 run. Money knocked in Oglivie the following inning to make it 3-2, but Chicago boosted the margin back up to 2 when Law again struck. This time he worked out a walk, stole second and scored on a Todd Cruz single up the middle. With 6 outs to go the Brew Crew found themselves down by 2 facing a lefty who had their number. The bottom of the 8th would change all that.
Oglive led off with a walk and was followed by a Sal Bando single. Both runners were bunted over to second by Sixto Lezcano who did it with 2 strikes against him. When Dick Davis fanned on 4 pitches the black could hanging over the Brewers head got even darker. Backup catcher Buck Martinez worked the count full and with the runners moving promptly singled to right to score them both and tie the game. Paul Molitor tripled off a rattled Bannister to put Milwaukee up 5-4. Slaton (6-2, 2.62) would complete the game and notch the victory in the 9th.[GAME 4 - County Stadium - MIL 3, CHW 2]
Win and you're in. That's the task hanging over the Brewers head. Win this final game of season to force a 1 game playoff with the Angels. Milwaukee went with Moose Haas, who was 0-3, at the time, with the season hanging in the balance. Definitely a curious choice to say the least. Chicago started Jerry Koosman, who has the pedigree for these big games. For those who remember, Koosman was the winning pitcher back in 1969 in the World Series Clincher for the Miracle Mets. Simply put Kooz is a money pitcher. Could Haas be one too ??? There was no score until the bottom of the 4th when Cooper hit an opposite field single. Stormin' Gorman Thomas exchanged places with Cooper at first when he hit into a 4-6 force play. Up stepped Sixto Lezcano, who is arguably the Brewers and possibly the AL's MVP. Lezcano kills lefthanded pitching and Koosman would have been wise not to challenge him. Unfortunately for the Pale Hose Lezcano laced into Koosman's 2-0 offering and hit it deep into the left field bleachers to give the Brew Crew a 2-0 lead. Both teams exchanged runs in the 7th and with 1 out in the top of the 9th future HOF'er Carlton Fisk took Haas deep to make it 3-2. With Bill Castro warming up in the pen Haas
summoned up his remaining strength and got Bernazard to ground back to the box. Pinch Hitter Jerry Hairston singled with 2 out, but Castro was not brought into the game. Moose Moose Haas was tasked with getting the tough Rudy Law out, and that is exactly what he did. Law attempted to go to the opposite field, but wound up grounding weakly to Bando at third to end the game. Milwaukee finished the season up a 21-17 and tied with the Angels for 1st. A 1 game playoff will be held to determine the divisional champ and who gets to go to the post season.
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