September 2, 1988 Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays Play by Play and Box Score

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CAL 3
BOS 2 CLE 4
CHW 3
(13) MIL 5
@DET 0 MIN 6
KCR 3 NYY 4
@OAK 1 BAL 4
@SEA 3 TOR 7
TEX 6 ATL 2
PIT 1 CIN 6
@CHC 5 STL 2
@HOU 0 MON 10
SFG 0 NYM 8
LAD 0 SDP 7
@PHI 4

Standings at end of play this day

Exhibition Stadium, Attendance: 30,181

Friday, September 2, 1988, 7:35
Time of Game: 3:18

Rangers

60-73

Lost 3

5th, 23 GB

                1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9    R  H  E
                -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -    -  -  -
Rangers         0  5  0   0  0  0   0  0  1    6  7  2
Blue Jays       2  0  2   1  0  1   0  0  1    7 10  0

W: T Henke (3-3), L: E Vande Berg (1-2)

Winning Run scored with 1 out

Blue Jays

67-68

Won 2

5th, 8½ GB

BATTING

Texas Rangers                AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
O McDowell CF                 5   0   1   0    0   2  .249  .653   19    2   0   SB
S Fletcher SS                 5   0   1   3    0   1  .280  .690   31    0   1   3B
P O'Brien 1B                  5   0   0   0    0   1  .283  .772   27    5   0   
R Sierra RF                   4   0   1   0    0   0  .245  .708   17    2   0   
G Petralli DH                 2   1   0   0    2   0  .313  .813   20    0   0   
  B Brower PR                 0   0   0   0    0   0  .236  .607         0   0   SB
C Espy LF                     3   1   0   0    1   1  .249  .645   16    6   0   
S Buechele 3B                 3   1   1   0    1   1  .262  .788   17    0   3   2B
C Wilkerson 2B                3   1   0   1    1   0  .295  .710    8    1   1   
J Sundberg C                  3   2   3   2    1   0  .244  .670   11    8   0   HR

S May P                                                                  0   0
  G Hoffman P                                                            0   0
  C McMurtry P                                                           1   0
  E Vande Berg P                                                         0   0
  C Guante P                                                             0   0
Totals                       33   6   7   6    6   6              166   25   5

BATTING

2B: S Buechele (19, off J Cerutti).

3B: S Fletcher (3, off J Cerutti).

HR: J Sundberg (4, off T Henke; 9th inn, 0 on, 0 outs to LF).

TB: J Sundberg 6; S Fletcher 3; S Buechele 2; O McDowell; R Sierra.

RBI: S Fletcher 3 (46); J Sundberg 2 (17); C Wilkerson (24).

Team LOB: 6.

With RISP: 2 for 13.

FIELDING

PB: J Sundberg (5).

E: C Espy (7); E Vande Berg ().

BASERUNNING

SB: O McDowell (27, 2nd base off D Stieb/E Whitt); B Brower (6, 2nd base off D Ward/E Whitt).

Toronto Blue Jays            AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
T Fernandez SS                5   2   3   1    0   0  .283  .698   20    3   3   2B
K Gruber 3B                   4   1   1   0    0   2  .284  .784   15    3   1   SB,SH
R Mulliniks DH                1   1   0   1    2   0  .300  .872   19    0   0   SF
  N Liriano PH                1   0   0   0    0   1  .242  .587    5    0   0   
G Bell LF                     4   1   2   4    0   1  .264  .743   23    2   0   HR,SF
E Whitt C                     3   0   0   0    1   1  .252  .739   14    6   1   
F McGriff 1B                  4   1   1   1    0   2  .281  .957   15    3   0   HR
J Barfield RF                 4   0   0   0    0   0  .238  .718   15    5   0   
R Ducey CF                    4   1   2   0    0   1  .231  .500   14    2   0   
M Lee 2B                      4   0   1   0    0   0  .286  .682    8    3   1   

D Stieb P                                                                0   0
  J Cerutti P                                                            0   2
  D Ward P                                                               0   0
  T Henke P                                                              0   0
Totals                       34   7  10   7    3   8              148   27   8

BATTING

2B: T Fernandez (32, off S May).

HR: F McGriff (31, off S May; 4th inn, 0 on, 0 outs to RF); G Bell (19, off S May; 3rd inn, 1 on, 2 outs to LF).

SF: R Mulliniks (2, off S May); G Bell (7, off S May).

SH: K Gruber (5, off E Vande Berg).

TB: G Bell 5; F McGriff 4; T Fernandez 4; R Ducey 2; M Lee; K Gruber.

RBI: G Bell 4 (79); T Fernandez (53); F McGriff (73); R Mulliniks (38).

2-out RBI: G Bell 2; T Fernandez.

Team LOB: 8.

With RISP: 4 for 7.

FIELDING

DP: 1. J Cerutti-E Whitt-K Gruber-M Lee.

BASERUNNING

SB: K Gruber (21, 2nd base off S May/J Sundberg).

PITCHING

Texas Rangers                 IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
S May                          3.1   4   5   5    2   2   2  13.50   16   54-35   23· 5· 7    1· 5· 4· 2     32    -     0.85  -0.37
G Hoffman                      2.1   2   1   1    1   2   0   5.32   11   43-22   12· 4· 6    3· 2· 3· 0          0-0    1.05   0.11
C McMurtry                     1.1   1   0   0    0   2   0   2.40    5   17-14    8· 3· 3    1· 0· 2· 0          2-1    1.22  -0.09
E Vande Berg, L (1-2)          1     2   1   1    0   1   0   3.97    6   20-11    8· 1· 2    3· 1· 1· 0          0-0    1.23  -0.15
C Guante                       0.1   1   0   0    0   1   0   2.83    2    9-5     4· 1· 0    0· 0· 1· 0          2-1    3.71  -0.19
Totals                         8.1  10   7   7    3   8   2          40  143-87   55·14·18    8· 8·11· 2          4-2

Toronto Blue Jays             IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
D Stieb                        1     1   4   4    4   1   0   3.63    8   39-17   10· 1· 6    1· 2· 0· 0     32    -     1.39  -0.24
J Cerutti                      5     5   1   1    1   1   0   3.35   20   78-50   29· 6·15    6· 8· 4· 0          3-3    1.25   0.04
D Ward, H (8)                  2     0   0   0    1   2   0   3.45    7   25-17    8· 1· 8    1· 3· 0· 0          0-0    2.24   0.21
T Henke, BS (4), W (3-3)       1     1   1   1    0   2   1   2.76    4   17-12    4· 3· 5    0· 1· 0· 1          0-0    2.15  -0.21
Totals                         9     7   6   6    6   6   1          39  159-96   51·11·34    8·14· 4· 1          3-3

E Vande Berg faced 2 batters in the 9th inning.
D Stieb faced 3 batters in the 2nd inning.

Balks: None.

WP: None.

IBB: None.

HBP: None.

OTHER

Umpires: HP - Terry Cooney, 1B - Tim Welke, 2B - Durwood Merrill, 3B - Joe Brinkman.

Time of Game: 3:18.

Attendance: 30,181.

Field Condition: Dry.

Weather: 75° F, Night, No Precipitation.

LINEUPS

   Texas Rangers                 Toronto Blue Jays                    
1. O McDowell           CF    1. T Fernandez          SS 
2. S Fletcher           SS    2. K Gruber             3B 
3. P O'Brien            1B    3. R Mulliniks          DH 
4. R Sierra             RF    4. G Bell               LF 
5. G Petralli           DH    5. E Whitt              C  
6. C Espy               LF    6. F McGriff            1B 
7. S Buechele           3B    7. J Barfield           RF 
8. C Wilkerson          2B    8. R Ducey              CF 
9. J Sundberg           C     9. M Lee                2B 

   S May                P        D Stieb              P

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

   Inn Out Score RoB  Pt wWPA  wWE  Batter          Pitcher         Play Detail
  +---+---+-----+---+---+----+----++---------------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
   t 9   0  6-5  ---  1  -34%  50% J Sundberg      T Henke         Home Run
   b 9   1  6-6  12-  4   29% 100% G Bell          C Guante        Single to RF (Line Drive to Short RF); Fernandez Scores; Gruber to 3B
   t 2   1  2-2  123  6  -21%  18% S Fletcher      J Cerutti       Triple to LF (Fly Ball to LF Line); Buechele Scores; Wilkerson Scores; Sundberg Scores
   b 6   2  5-5  12-  6   18%  75% T Fernandez     C McMurtry      Single to CF (Line Drive to Short CF); Ducey Scores; Lee to 3B
   b 3   2  5-2  -2-  3   18%  38% G Bell          S May           Home Run; Mulliniks Scores

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Top of the 1st, Rangers Batting, Tied 0-0, Dave Stieb facing 1-2-3
  Scr/Out RoB  Pt  wWE  Batter          Play Detail
  +------+---+---+----++---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
          ---  3   46%  O McDowell      Single to CF (Ground Ball)
          1--      44%  S Fletcher      McDowell Steals 2B
   O      -2-  7   48%  " "             Strikeout Swinging
   O      -2-  4   52%  P O'Brien       Flyball: LF
   O      -2-  5   55%  R Sierra        Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rangers 0, Blue Jays 0.

Bottom of the 1st, Blue Jays Batting, Tied 0-0, Scott May facing 1-2-3
          ---  3   61%  T Fernandez     Double to RF (Line Drive)
          -2-  3   67%  K Gruber        Single to RF (Line Drive to 2B-1B); Fernandez to 3B
          1-3      68%  R Mulliniks     Gruber Steals 2B
   RO     -23  4   69%  " "             Flyball: LF/Sacrifice Fly; Fernandez Scores; Gruber to 3B
   RO     --3  5   71%  G Bell          Flyball: LF/Sacrifice Fly; Gruber Scores
          ---  5   72%  E Whitt         Walk
   O      1--  2   70%  F McGriff       Flyball: LF
                  2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rangers 0, Blue Jays 2.

Top of the 2nd, Rangers Batting, Behind 0-2, Dave Stieb facing 5-6-7
          ---  6   67%  G Petralli      Walk
          1--  6   60%  C Espy          Walk; Petralli to 2B
          12-  4   52%  S Buechele      Walk; Petralli to 3B; Espy to 2B
                  John Cerutti replaces Dave Stieb pitching
   R      123  4   42%  C Wilkerson     Walk; Petralli Scores; Espy to 3B; Buechele to 2B
   R      123  3   33%  J Sundberg      Single to CF (Line Drive to Short CF); Espy Scores; Buechele to 3B; Wilkerson to 2B
   O      123  3   40%  O McDowell      Flyball: SS
   RRR    123  6   18%  S Fletcher      Triple to LF (Fly Ball to LF Line); Buechele Scores; Wilkerson Scores; Sundberg Scores
   OO     --3  5   24%  P O'Brien       Double Play: Fielder's Choice P; Fletcher out at Hm/P-C-3B; O'Brien out at 2B/3B-2B
                  5 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 2.

Bottom of the 2nd, Blue Jays Batting, Behind 2-5, Scott May facing 7-8-9
   O      ---  6   22%  J Barfield      Groundout: 3B-1B
   O      ---  4   21%  R Ducey         Strikeout Swinging
   O      ---  2   20%  M Lee           Lineout: LF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 2.

Top of the 3rd, Rangers Batting, Ahead 5-2, John Cerutti facing 4-5-6
   O      ---  4   21%  R Sierra        Flyball: RF
   O      ---  5   22%  G Petralli      Flyball: SS
   O      ---  4   23%  C Espy          Flyball: CF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 2.

Bottom of the 3rd, Blue Jays Batting, Behind 2-5, Scott May facing 1-2-3
   O      ---  4   20%  T Fernandez     Flyball: LF
   O      ---  4   19%  K Gruber        Strikeout Swinging
          ---  4   20%  R Mulliniks     Walk
          1--      21%  G Bell          Passed Ball; Mulliniks to 2B
   RR     -2-  3   38%  " "             Home Run; Mulliniks Scores
   O      ---  2   37%  E Whitt         Lineout: CF
                  2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4.

Top of the 4th, Rangers Batting, Ahead 5-4, John Cerutti facing 7-8-9
          ---  5   31%  S Buechele      Double to LF (Line Drive to LF Line)
   O      -2-  1   35%  C Wilkerson     Groundout: P-1B
          -2-  5   33%  J Sundberg      Walk
   O      12-  5   38%  O McDowell      Strikeout Looking
   O      12-  5   42%  S Fletcher      Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4.

Bottom of the 4th, Blue Jays Batting, Behind 4-5, Scott May facing 6-7-8
   R      ---  1   56%  F McGriff       Home Run
   O      ---  2   53%  J Barfield      Flyball: CF
                  Guy Hoffman replaces Scott May pitching
   O      ---  2   51%  R Ducey         Groundout: 2B-1B
   O      ---  1   50%  M Lee           Groundout: 3B-1B
                  1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 5.

Top of the 5th, Rangers Batting, Tied 5-5, John Cerutti facing 3-4-5
   O      ---  5   53%  P O'Brien       Flyball: 3B
          ---  6   50%  R Sierra        Single to CF (Line Drive to SS-2B)
   O      1--  4   53%  G Petralli      Lineout: RF
   O      1--  1   57%  C Espy          Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 5.

Bottom of the 5th, Blue Jays Batting, Tied 5-5, Guy Hoffman facing 1-2-3
   O      ---  2   54%  T Fernandez     Groundout: 3B-1B
   O      ---  4   51%  K Gruber        Lineout: LF
          ---  4   53%  R Mulliniks     Walk
          1--  6   56%  G Bell          Reached on E7 (Line Drive); Mulliniks to 2B
   O      12-  6   50%  E Whitt         Strikeout Swinging
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 5.

Top of the 6th, Rangers Batting, Tied 5-5, John Cerutti facing 7-8-9
   O      ---  4   53%  S Buechele      Groundout: SS-1B
   O      ---  1   56%  C Wilkerson     Foul Flyball: 2B
          ---  2   54%  J Sundberg      Single to LF (Ground Ball thru SS-3B Hole)
   O      1--  4   57%  O McDowell      Groundout: 2B-SS/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 5.

Bottom of the 6th, Blue Jays Batting, Tied 5-5, Guy Hoffman facing 6-7-8
   O      ---  7   54%  F McGriff       Strikeout Looking
   O      ---  3   52%  J Barfield      Flyball: 2B
          ---  5   54%  R Ducey         Single to RF (Fly Ball to Short RF)
          1--  3   56%  M Lee           Single to SS (Line Drive to SS-2B); Ducey to 2B
                  Craig McMurtry replaces Guy Hoffman pitching
   R      12-  6   75%  T Fernandez     Single to CF (Line Drive to Short CF); Ducey Scores; Lee to 3B
   O      1-3  3   70%  K Gruber        Strikeout Swinging
                  1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 6.

Top of the 7th, Rangers Batting, Behind 5-6, Duane Ward facing 2-3-4
                  Duane Ward replaces John Cerutti pitching
   O      ---  2   74%  S Fletcher      Groundout: SS-1B
   O      ---  7   77%  P O'Brien       Flyball: RF
   O      ---  2   79%  R Sierra        Flyball: 3B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 6.

Bottom of the 7th, Blue Jays Batting, Ahead 6-5, Craig McMurtry facing 3-4-5
   O      ---  4   77%  R Mulliniks     Groundout: P unassisted
   O      ---  3   76%  G Bell          Strikeout Swinging
   O      ---  1   75%  E Whitt         Lineout: RF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 6.

Top of the 8th, Rangers Batting, Behind 5-6, Duane Ward facing 5-6-7
          ---  5   66%  G Petralli      Walk
                  Bob Brower pinch runs for Geno Petralli batting 5th
          1--      60%  C Espy          Brower Steals 2B
   O      -2-  3   70%  " "             Strikeout Swinging
   O      -2-  4   79%  S Buechele      Strikeout Looking
   O      -2-  2   87%  C Wilkerson     Flyball: LF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 6.

Bottom of the 8th, Blue Jays Batting, Ahead 6-5, Ed Vande Berg facing 6-7-8
                  Ed Vande Berg replaces Craig McMurtry pitching
   O      ---  5   86%  F McGriff       Strikeout Looking
   O      ---  4   85%  J Barfield      Groundout: SS-1B
          ---  3   85%  R Ducey         Single to RF (Line Drive to SS-2B)
   O      1--  2   84%  M Lee           Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rangers 5, Blue Jays 6.

Top of the 9th, Rangers Batting, Behind 5-6, Tom Henke facing 9-1-2
                  Tom Henke replaces Duane Ward pitching
   R      ---  1   50%  J Sundberg      Home Run
   O      ---  4   56%  O McDowell      Strikeout Swinging
   O      ---  6   60%  S Fletcher      Flyball: CF
   O      ---  6   63%  P O'Brien       Strikeout Swinging
                  1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rangers 6, Blue Jays 6.

Bottom of the 9th, Blue Jays Batting, Tied 6-6, Ed Vande Berg facing 1-2-3
          ---  5   71%  T Fernandez     Single to CF (Ground Ball thru SS-2B)
          1--  1   81%  K Gruber        Reached on E1 (throw)/Sacrifice Bunt; Fernandez to 2B; Gruber to 1B
                  Cecilio Guante replaces Ed Vande Berg pitching; Nelson Liriano pinch hits for Rance Mulliniks batting 3rd
   O      12-  5   71%  N Liriano       Strikeout (foul bunt)
   R      12-  4  100%  G Bell          Single to RF (Line Drive to Short RF); Fernandez Scores; Gruber to 3B
        1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB. Rangers 6, Blue Jays 7.

Retrosheet.org Boxscore:TOR198809020

Play-by-Play Explanation

Scr/Out- This has a "O" for every out on the play and an "R" for every run that scored on the play. Some plays will have both in no particular order.
RoB- This gives the baserunner (Runners on Base) configuration at the start of the play. "1-3" would mean runners on first and third. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Pt- When available, the number of pitches in this plate appearance. Clicking on this number will show the sequence of pitches thrown including, when available, things like runner going, ball blocked, attempted pickoffs and the like. We believe this data to be as accurate as humanly possible, but there are going to be some errors in the data, so please take it with a grain of salt. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Batter- The batter at the plate when this play occurred. If the play is a baserunning event, then the batter's name will be repeated as indicated by quotes.
Play Detail- This is an explanation of the play that occurred. In some cases, batted ball location and type will be indicated within parentheses. Again, these are best efforts to the record the game as it happened. Also, plays made on the baserunners (including the batter as a baserunner) will be indicated in parentheses after the baserunner's name. Advancement of baserunners is given in cases where the advancement is not easily deduced or obvious from the play. For example, advancement for a walk will not be given, but for a single or double it will be given.

Please report any issues or strangeness you see with the description of plays given above. We have tested several hundred different types of plays, but, in all likelihood, there are still some errors or misinterpretations of the play-by-play data.

The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at 20 Sunset Rd., Newark, DE 19711.

In some cases, the results from play-by-play data will contradict results in the official record. The official record has many, many errors, but we have not undertaken to reconcile those errors. Pitch-by-pitch data should not be taken as completely accurate, though we believe it to be as accurate as is currently possible.


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You Are Here > Baseball-Reference.com > Boxes > 1988 > TOR \| TEX > Sep 2, 1988, Rangers at Blue Jays Box Score and Play by Play

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BATTING

PITCHING

OTHER

LINEUPS

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Play-by-Play Explanation