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CIRCUIT
CLOUTS
Home of
the United League ·
25th
Season
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May 16, 1975
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STANDINGS (by
division)
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WEST
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W
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L
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GB
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Last
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1
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•
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Detroit
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28
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14
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+5
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12-2
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2
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•
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Atlanta
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23
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19
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-
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5-9
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3
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•
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Manhattan
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26
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16
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+3
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7-7
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4
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•
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Montréal
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26
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16
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+3
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11-3
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5
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•
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St. Louis
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23
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19
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-
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10-4
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6
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•
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Los Angeles
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23
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19
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-
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10-4
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7
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•
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San Francisco
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22
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20
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1
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7-7
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8t
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•
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Chicago
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21
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21
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2
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7-7
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8t
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•
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Washington
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21
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21
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2
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6-8
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10
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•
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Dallas
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19
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23
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4
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6-8
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11
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•
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Cleveland
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18
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24
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5
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5-9
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12
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•
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Denver
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17
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25
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6
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6-8
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13
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•
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Brooklyn
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16
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26
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7
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5-9
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14
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•
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Boston
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11
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31
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12
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3-11
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TOP STORIES |
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In a hyper-speed
rebuild, Brookyn traded eight players in
one day and acquired a raft of 1976
draft picks, including six in the first
round.
Detroit surged to first
place for the first time since June
1971. Montréal, St. Louis and Los
Angeles also moved up the standings.
The Federals are off to the worst
start in over a decade. The '64
Louisville Colonels were the last team
to win fewer than a dozen games by May
16.
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ON THE MEND |
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ATL
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LF Oscar Gamble (2 wk)
CL Mark
Littell (2 wk) |
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BOS
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C Manny Sanguillen (9 mo) |
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BRO
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MR Dave Tomlin (2 wk) |
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CHI
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3B Bernie Allen (2 mo) |
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CLE
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--- |
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DAL
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LF Bob Bailey (7 mo)
MR Sparky Lyle
(6 wk)
SP Wayne Simpson (2-3 wk) |
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DEN
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3B Steve Ontiveros (5-6 mo)
RF Ken
Griffey (3 wk) |
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DET
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MR Tom Walker (6 wk)
RF Reggie
Jackson (2 wk) |
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LA
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--- |
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MAN
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SP Craig Swan (4 wk)
CF Jim Holt (4 wk)
SP Steve Rogers
(2 wk) |
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MON
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--- |
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STL
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MR Dave LaRoche
(3-4 mo)
LF
Boog Powell (5-6 wk) |
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SF
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RF Richie Zisk
(3 mo)
SP Bob Moose (4 wk) |
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WAS
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SP Jim Colborn (4-5 wk)
LF Bernie Carbo
(3 wk) |
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min 2 weeks
new injury |
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| TRADES |
May 1 (339)
BROOKLYN gets
SP Eddie Solomon
CHI '76 1st round
pick
CHI '76 3rd round pick
CHICAGO gets
SP Bill
Gogolewski
RF Gene Clines
May 1 (340)
BROOKLYN gets
SP Pete Broberg
SP Nino Espinosa
MR Stan Thomas
MON '76 1st round pick
MON '76 2nd round pick
MON '76 3rd round pick
MON '76 4th round pick
MONTRÉAL gets
SP
Ernie McAnally
MR Bill Greif
May 1 (341)
BROOKLYN gets
MAN '76
1st round pick
LA '76 3rd round pick
LOS ANGELES gets
MR
Goose Gossage
May 1 (342)
BROOKLYN gets
SP Rick Wise
2B Dave Cash
WAS '76 1st round pick
WAS '76 2nd
round pick
WAS '76 4th round pick
WASHINGTON gets
SP
Vida Blue
LF Joe Rudi
2B Dave
Rosello
May 1 (343)
DENVER gets
SP Dean
Chance
WAS '76 3rd round pick
WASHINGTON gets
2B
Art Howe |
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 Griffins
Fly to Top
Young Hurlers on Fire
DETROIT (May 16)
-- The Detroit
Griffins surged to first place for the first time since
June 1971 with eight straight wins and 12 in their last
14, behind torrid young starting pitching. What
was presumed to be Detroit's biggest weakness before the
season has turned out to be its biggest strength, as
young hurlers Bruce Kison and Jesse Jefferson have been
unhittable in the month of May.
Kison, 24, was
thrust into the ace role after the departure of Dock
Ellis, but he has responded brilliantly, posting a 6-3
record and 2.51 ERA in nine starts. Kison beat San
Francisco 5-1 with a five-hitter on May 2, then shut out
Denver 4-0 with a three-hitter in his best outing of the
year. Jefferson was a surprise choice for the
starting rotation. Indeed, the 25-year-old was
considered one of the weakest starters in the league in
the spring. The very last pick (56th) in the 1973
draft, Jefferson had a good year with Triple-A Twin
Cities last year (12-5, 2.76) but was a big flop in his
September callup, with three losses and a 7.71 ERA in
eight appearances. This year started much the same
way, with a 6.25 ERA in April. But the Midlothian,
Ill. native has allowed just two earned runs in his last
two starts, wins over Brooklyn and Washington.
Catcher Brian Downing is emerging at the Flyin' Lions
biggest offensive threat. Downing is hitting
.336-7-24 with a .983 OPS and is sixth in batting and
seventh in VORP. And Otto Velez has filled the
offensive gap caused by Reggie Jackson's injury with six
homers and 22 RBI -- he is second only to Downing in
both categories. Jackson was sidelined May 18 with
a hamstring sprain, but the club is 18-7 with Reggie on
the DL.
Skeptics will question whether the
Griffins' young pitching staff can perform at a high
level over the course of an entire season, but for now
fans in Detroit are enjoying the vista from the very top
of the league standings.
 Munson
Hit Streak Ends at 25
MANHATTAN (May 6) -- Thurmon
Munson equaled the UL's longest hitting streak in the
last eight years, but fell short of the all-time record,
taking the collar today in a 5-4 loss to the Manhattan
Gray Sox. Munson, 27, has hitting .300 or better
in each of the last three season, and was fast out of
the box with a league best .398 average in April.
"Tugboat" is second among active catchers in batting
average (.300), and fourth in hits (938). The
Spiders have struggled to regain their championship form
of a year ago, especially in the pitching department.
San Francisco's rotation ranks 10th in ERA. The
club is eagerly awaiting the return of their ace Bob
Moose, who had Tommy John surgery last July and should
return to the club in mid-June.
Cobra Hits for the Cycle
ATLANTA (May 15) --
Atlanta's Dave Parker continues to rapidly compile an
impressive hitting resume. The Cobra was the first
rookie to win a batting title and captured Rookie of the
Year honors in 1974, and added a cycle to his c.v. on
May 15 in a 4-for-5 game vs. Denver. Parker is
hitting .323 with 24 RBI and a .929 OPS. Parker's
cycle is the fourth of the decade and the first for the
Toppers franchise since Tony Conigliaro in 1964.
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Toppers hit 2-9 slump May 1-12 before sweeping Denver. .
. Ron Reed had an abrupt
turnaround. He was 6-1, 2.06 in April and is 0-3,
8.10 in May.
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Team ranks 3rd in runs and 5th in pitching. . .
Denis Menke is hitting .500 (14-28) in
his last eight games. . . Bruce Kison
leads the league with 7 complete games.
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Dave LaRoche's
0.64 ERA leads all relief pitchers. . .
Joe Niekro has pitched the most innings (63.2)
without a loss. . . Maroons have best road record
(13-11).
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Montreal has surpassed Cleveland as
the top defense team, according to Zone Rating, with
four fielders in the top 8 in the league: SS
Rick Burleson, CF Rich Coggins,
2B Bobby Grich, and LF Ben
Oglivie.
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Starters rank 2nd and bullpen ranks 14th, by ERA.
Addition of Goose Gossage hasn't helped
the ERA, though he has 4 saves since May 1. . . On
a loaded staff, rookie Dennis Leonard has pitched the
best (6-1, 0.66).
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Steve Garvey overtook the batting lead
with 26 hits in his last 14 games, including a 5-for-5
game in Cleveland May 5. . . Ed Farmer
leads all relievers with four wins.
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Fergie Jenkins
leads the league with 9 quality starts. . .
Pete Rose seems to be having a good
season (finally!), batting .322 with a .367 OBP -- his
career numbers are .264 and .333.
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Vida Blue won his Mons debut May 5
at Denver, allowing one run in eight innings. . .
Closer Joe Hoerner is 1.72 with 4
saves.
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Ed Figueroa is an early rookie of the
year candidate after going 6-1 with a 1.58 ERA in 8
starts. He is 4th in ERA and 3rd in VORP. . .
Amos Otis is the league's coldest
hitter, batting .048 (1-21) in his last six games.
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Rick Reuschel struck out 13 Superbas in
a three-hit shutout May 13, but still lost, 1-0, on a
Greg Luzinski homer. Cleveland
games average 5.7 runs per game, combined. . .
Burt Hooton is 3-1, 1.35 with a 0.88
WHIP in his last five starts.
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Johnny Bench drove in five runs with a
pair of homers in a 10-4 win over Boston May 5.
Dave Kingman hit 5 home runs for 10
RBIs in a five-game stretch and won Player of the Week
May 12. . . RF Willie Crawford
rates as the league's biggest defensive liability (-8.7
runs).
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The Bas are 5-9 since their flurry of trades May 1.
The top performers have been new 2B Dave Cash
(.426, 23 hits in 13 games) and 4th starter
Bill Hands (1.88 ERA in last 2 starts).
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Bill Bonham gave
up 5 homers in 8 innings over two starts May 3-8, and
has a 11.57 ERA in his last three. . . 2B Willie
Randolph, the 1st round draft pick, is hitting
.400 in 11 games since his May 1 callup.
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The Feds' 11-31 start is the worst
since Louisville's 10-32 start in 1964. . .
Tom Seaver (10.13 ERA in 3 starts) and
Rick Waits (11.70 in 3 starts) are among the
coldest pitchers in the league. . . Marcelino
Lopez has the most starts without a win (9).
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LEAGUE
LEADERS |
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BATTING AVERAGE
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HOME RUNS
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RBI
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VORP
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RUNS/GAME
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Steve Garvey, MAN
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.383
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Thurmon Munson, SF
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.372
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Steve Ontiveros, DEN
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.356
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Mike Schmidt, BRO
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.346
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Juan Beniquez, ATL
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.341
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*Joe Torre, ATL
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.340
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*Brian Downing, DET
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.336
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*George Foster, SF
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.333
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Rod Carew, DAL
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.329
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*Denis Menke, DET
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.329
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Orlando Cepeda, BOS
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13
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Joe Torre, ATL
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13
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Steve Garvey, MAN
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12
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*Dave Kingman, DAL
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12
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George Foster, SF
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11
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Tom Grieve, DEN
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11
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Ron Cey, BOS
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10
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Fred Lynn, BRO
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10
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*Graig Nettles, STL
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10
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Steve Garvey, MAN
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40
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Dave Kingman, DAL
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39
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George Foster, SF
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34
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Joe Torre, ATL
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34
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*Sal Bando, LA
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33
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Bill Melton, MAN
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32
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Thurmon Munson, SF
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32
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Fred Lynn, BRO
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30
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Dave Winfield, LA
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30
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Bill Freehan, ATL
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29
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Steve Garvey, MAN
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31.8
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George Foster, SF
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23.5
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Joe Torre, ATL
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22.9
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*Thurmon Munson, SF
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20.5
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Mike Schmidt, BRO
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18.9
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*Brian Downing, DET
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18.0
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*Dave Rosello, WAS
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17.0
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*Craig Robinson, MAN
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16.5
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Bobby Grich, MON
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16.5
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*Ollie Brown, CHI
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15.4
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ATLANTA
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5.1
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SAN FRANCISCO
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4.9
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DETROIT
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4.8
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MONTRÉAL
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4.6
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MANHATTAN
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4.5
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DALLAS
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4.5
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LOS ANGELES
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4.2
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ST. LOUIS
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4.1
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CHICAGO
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4.0
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BROOKLYN
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3.8
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WASHINGTON
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3.8
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DENVER
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3.6
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BOSTON
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3.3
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CLEVELAND
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2.7
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EARNED RUN AVERAGE
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WINS
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STRIKEOUTS
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VORP
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RUNS ALLOWED/GAME
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Dennis Leonard, LA
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0.66
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*Jon Matlack, STL
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1.10
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Burt Hooton, CLE
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1.55
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Ed Figueroa, CHI
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1.58
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Joe Niekro, STL
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1.98
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*Kevin Kobel, DEN
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2.08
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Rick Reuschel, CLE
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2.22
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*Mike Nagy, MON
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2.33
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*Dock Ellis, MON
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2.43
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*Fergie Jenkins, SF
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2.43
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Ed Figueroa, MON
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6
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Fergie Jenkins, SF
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6
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Bruce Kison, DET
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6
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*Dennis Leonard, LA
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6
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Ron Reed, ATL
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6
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*Jim Rooker, MON
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6
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Bert Blyleven, BOS
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5
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Tom Bradley, ATL
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5
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Dock Ellis, MON
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5
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Burt Hooton, CLE
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5
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*Jim Nash, MON
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5
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Steve Rogers, MAN
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5
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Fergie Jenkins, SF
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71
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Bert Blyleven, BOS
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68
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Steve Carlton, MAN
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67
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Rick Reuschel, CLE
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64
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Nolan Ryan, STL
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62
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*Don Wilson, WAS
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60
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J.R. Richard, CLE
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59
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Vida Blue, BRO
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56
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*Ken Holtzman, DET
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56
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Dave Roberts, ATL
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56
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Dennis Leonard, LA
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30.2
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Burt Hooton, CLE
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22.0
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Ed Figueroa, CHI
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21.0
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Rick Reuschel, CLE
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20.5
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Fergie Jenkins, SF
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19.8
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*Jon Matlack, STL
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19.4
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*Joe Niekro, STL
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19.0
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Bruce Kison, DET
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18.2
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*Mike Nagy, MON
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17.2
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*Bill Singer, CHI
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16.9
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CLEVELAND
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3.0
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MONTRÉAL
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3.5
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LOS ANGELES
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3.7
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CHICAGO
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3.7
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DETROIT
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3.7
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ST. LOUIS
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3.8
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ATLANTA
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4.0
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WASHINGTON
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4.1
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MANHATTAN
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4.2
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SAN FRANCISCO
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4.4
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BROOKLYN
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4.5
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DENVER
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4.8
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DALLAS
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5.1
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BOSTON
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5.4
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double arrows
indicate
moves of 3+ places
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AWARDS & MILESTONES |
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BATTER of the MONTH
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PITCHER of the MONTH
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ROOKIE of the MONTH
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MILESTONES
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APR
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Steve Garvey, MAN |
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MAY
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JUN
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JUL
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AUG
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SEP
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APR
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Ron Reed, ATL |
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MAY
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JUN
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JUL
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AUG
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SEP
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APR
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Steve Ontiveros, DEN |
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MAY
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JUN
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JUL
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AUG
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SEP
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Glen Reed,
MON
2,000 career win (Apr. 6)
#2 all-time
Phil
Niekro, LA
100 wins (Apr. 14)
#49t all-time
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PLAYER of the WEEK
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4/7
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Steve Garvey, MAN |
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4/14
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Steve Garvey, MAN |
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4/21
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Tom Grieve, MAN |
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4/28
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Dave Parker, ATL |
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5/5
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Joe Torre, ATL |
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5/12
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Dave Kingman, DAL |
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5/19
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5/26
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6/2
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6/9
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6/16
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6/23
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6/30
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7/7
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7/14
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7/21
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7/28
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8/4
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8/11
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8/18
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8/25
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9/1
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9/8
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9/15
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9/22
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