MEMORABLE BRAVES MOMENTS OF THE 1970's

(1973)

"AN 18-3 GAME! A NO-HITTER! LOTS OF HOME RUNS!"

BRAVES BATTER THE BUCS BUOYED BY 
BIG BOPPING BY THE BROOKLYN BASHER! 

(June 13, 1973)

I seriously doubt that any other fan would rate this as their favorite all-time game, but I remember at the time that this game seemed magical to me. The Braves just kept on scoring! And against the tough Pirates and former World Series heroes Dock Ellis and Steve Blass!

Braves pitcher Ron Reed gave up a three-run homer to the Pirates' Rich Hebner in the fourth whic gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead. Then the Brave deluge started. Darrell Evans hit a grand slam in the fourth. Marty Perez and Reed knocked in runs that same inning! But it didn't stop there. Ace pinch hitter Frank "The Brooklyn Basher" Tepedino came in during the middle of the game and knocked a pair of two run singles and Reed ended up with four RBI's as well. 

When the smoke cleared, the Braves had won 18-3. I remember listening to every pitch on the radio and wondering why all games couldn't be like that.

KNUCKSIE TOSSES NO-NO AT THE PADRES! 

(August 5, 1973)

The Atlanta Braves had only one no-hitter pitched during the seventies (though Ron Schueler and Andy Messersmith came close) and appropriately it was hurled by the ace of the staff, Knuckleballer Phil Niekro. It also came against the one team that the Braves seemed to beat on a regular basis in the 70's, the Padres.

The game itself was never in doubt, which included a home run by catcher Paul Casanova and another two RBI's from the Brooklyn Basher, aka Frank Tepedino. 

Niekro only struck out four and walked only three, which wasn't too many in either category for a knuckleball pitcher who had his pitches really knuckling. But his defense came through for him, including a no-hitter saving play from reserve second baseman and Vietnam vet Chuck Goggin.

I remember listening to this game on the radio while my cousin was visiting during that summer and we became most excited as the later innings progressed. 

The Braves wouldn't pitch another no-hitter until 1991.

AARON BLASTS HISTORIC HOME RUNS ON HIS WAY TO 715!

(September 8, 1973) 

When Hank Aaron was approaching Babe Ruth's home run record late in 1973, every home run seemed to be of historic importance. Here's a list:

700: July 21 off Ken Brett of Philadelphia

701: July 31 off Pedro Borbon of Cincinnati

702: August 16 off Jack Aker of Chicago

703: August 17 off Steve Renko of Montreal

704: August 18 off Steve Rogers of Montreal

705: August 22 off Reggie Cleveland of St. Louis

706: August 28 off Milt Pappas of Chicago

707: September 3 off Vincent Romo of San Diego

708: September 3 off Clay Kirby of San Diego

709: September 8 off Jack Billingham of Cincinnati

710: September 10 off Don Carrithers of San Francisco

711: September 17 off Randy Jones of San Diego

712: September 22 off Dave Roberts of Houston

713: September 29 off Jerry Reuss of Houston

A couple of them that stand out include number 700, where lucky fan Robert Winborne received 700 gold coins and a picture with Hank for his trouble.

Also of note was mumber 709 because I was at that game and included a rare ninth inning victory over the Big Red Machine. Aaron's home run was also his 36th for the season, but it was Dave Johnson's 39th in the bottom of the ninth that won the game. Joe Niekro was the winning pitcher, one of only five career wins for Phil's brother as a Brave.

Number 713 off Jerry Reuss put Hank within one of the Babe with one game left in the season. 

In his final game of the season, Hank had three hits, but they were all singles. 714 would have to wait until 1974. 

DARRELL, DAVEY AND THE HAMMER BECOME FIRST TRIO TO HIT FORTY ROUND TRIPPERS!

 (September 26, 1973) 

As someone who collected baseball cards, read Baseball Digest and Sports Illustrated during 1973, I was very interested in baseball records. Of course, Hank Aaron going after the all-time Home Run record was paramount, but there was another interesting home run record the Braves set in 1973. This marked the first time that three teammates hit 40 or more homers in the same season. Of course, Aaron was one and finished the year with 40. Darrell Evans hit 41 that year, the first time he had even exceeded 20 in one season. He would go on to have ten twenty-plus home run seasons on his way to 414 for his career. The odd duck of this trio was Dave Johnson, who hit more than both of them that year with 43. Though previously an all-star second baseman with Baltimore, he had never hit more than 18 home runs in a single season and never would again. I'm not sure what was sprinkled on top of Davey's Fruit Loops during the summer of '73, but it made for some great memories.

1973 was a strange year in the National league. The three best team were in the N. L. West (Reds, Dodgers and Giants) and the N. L. East struggled to have any team finish over .500. The Braves finished nine games under .500, which was good enough to finish only ahead of the Padres in the West. If they had been in the East, who knows? Braves vs. Reds in the playoffs? Dare to dream.