Games of Tuesday, Sept. 16

Seattle               83      61       .576     ---
Chicago             80      59      .576     0.5
Kansas City       74      70      .514      9  
Cleveland          73      70      .510      9.5  
California          70      70      .500    11
Montreal           64      77       .454    17.5
Philadelphia      61      79      .435    20
San Diego         62      81       .434    20.5

Wednesday's games
Montreal (Waslewski) at Cleveland (Tiant)
Kansas City (Rooker) at Chicago (Edmondson)
Philadelphia (Wise) at Seattle (Segui)
California (Messersmith and McGlothlin) at San Diego (Niekro and Santorini)

Cleveland 5, Montreal 0: Sam McDowell threw a five-hitter and struck out nine in the complete-game shutout. He also walked four Expos. Tony Horton drove in three runs with a pair of singles and a sac fly. Starter and loser Mark Wegener was knocked out after one inning in which he allowed three runs.

Kansas City 4, Chicago 0: Lou Piniella hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Royals, and Wally Bunker threw 8.2 scoreless innings for the win. Dave Wickersham entered with two outs and the bases loaded to retire pinch-hitter Tom McCraw for the final out. Mike Fiore went 3-for-3 with walk and a run scored.

Seattle 5, Philadelphia 4: Steve Hovley singled home Tommy Harper with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for the win that moved the Pilots into first place. Harper was 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, two steals and a walk. The Phillies got solo homers from Johnny Callison and Deron Johnson, both off Seattle starter George Brunet. Bob Locker, who gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth, vultured the win. Bill Wilson took the loss. Tony Taylor (Phillies) was injured and is eligible to play Sept. 19; Wayne Comer (Pilots) was injured and is eligible to play Sept. 27.

Player of the Day: Tommy Harper, Seattle

Games of Monday, Sept. 15

Chicago             80      58      .580     ---
Seattle               82      61       .573     0.5
Kansas City       73      70      .510      9.5 
Cleveland          72      70      .507    10 
California          70      70      .500    11
Montreal           64      76       .457    17
Philadelphia      61      78       .439    19.5
San Diego         62      81       .434    20.5

Tuesday's games
Montreal (Wegener) at Cleveland (McDowell)
Kansas City (Bunker) at Chicago (Horlen)
Philadelphia (Jackson) at Seattle (Brunet)

California 4, Chicago 3: The Angels slapped Tommy John for five singles and three runs in the fifth inning and made the lead hold. Eddie Fisher and Ken Tatum entered to get out of jams in the sixth and eighth innings respectively. Rudy May got the win, Tatum the save. Roger Repoz had two RBIs for the Angels, including a solo homer in the second. Pete Ward had a pinch-hit RBI triple and later scored for Chicago.

Kansas City 9, San Diego 5: Jackie Hernandez and Ellie Rodriguez hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning as the Royals overcame a 5-0 deficit to beat the Padres. Al Ferrara hit a three-run homer and Tommy Dean a two-run shot for San Diego. Hernandez drove in four runs with three hits for the Royals. Steve Jones threw two scoreless innings for the win, and Gary Ross took the loss in relief.

Seattle 3, Montreal 2: Jim Bouton and Diego Segui combined for three hitless innings out of the bullpen and the Pilots cashed in on a throwing error by Montreal starter Jerry Robertson for the go-ahead run in the sixth inning.  John Gelnar got the win; he allowed two runs on four hits, four walks and a hit batter in six innings. Coco Laboy homered for Montreal.

Player of the Day: Jackie Hernandez, Kansas City

Games of Sunday, Sept. 14

Chicago             80      57      .584     ---
Seattle               81      61       .570     1.5
Cleveland          72      70      .507    10.5
Kansas City       72      70      .507    10.5
California          69      70      .496    12
Montreal           64      75       .460    17
Philadelphia      61      78       .439    20
San Diego         62      80       .437    20.5

Monday's games
California (May) at Chicago (John)
Kansas City (Hedlund) at San Diego (Kirby)
Montreal (Robertson) at Seattle (Gelnar)

Cleveland 4, Philadelphia 0: Stan Williams struck out 11 in his three-hit shutout. He walked five. Ken Harrelson homered in the first off loser Jerry Johnson, and Russ Snyder doubled in a pair in the bottom of the eighth as the Tribe added three unearned insurance runs. Johnson allowed one earned run in eight innings. He yielded seven hits.

Chicago 6, California 4: The Chicago bullpen provided five innings of one-run ball and the White Sox scored twice in the bottom of the eighth off Hoyt Wilhelm to break the tie. Dan Osinski inherited a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the fifth from Gary Peters and stranded all three runners. Don Secrist, who got a double play to escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, got the win, and Wilbur Wood got the save. Carlos May homered for the White Sox, Billy Cowan for the Angels. Luis Aparicio stole a pair of bases.

San Diego 6, Kansas City 3: Jose Arcia reached four times and scored three runs for the Padres. Johnny Podres went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on six hits. Bill Butler took the loss for Kansas City. Gary Ross got Bob Oliver to ground into a double play with the bases loaded in the ninth to end it and earn the save. Nate Colbert was injured and is eligible to return after Sept. 17.

Seattle 1, Montreal 0: Wayne Comer homered in the fourth inning and Marty Pattin fanned nine Expos in eight innings of three-hit ball. Comer also doubled. John O'Donoghue worked the ninth for the save. Steve Renko, who allowed three hits in seven innings himself, took the loss.

Player of the Day: Jose Arcia, San Diego

Games of Saturday, Sept. 13

Chicago             79      57      .580     ---
Seattle               80      61       .567     1.5
Kansas City       72      69      .511      9.5
Cleveland          71      70      .503    10.5
California          69      69      .504    11
Montreal           64      74       .464    16
Philadelphia      61      77       .442    19
San Diego         61      80       .433    20.5

Sunday's games
Philadelphia (Johnson) at Cleveland (Williams)
California (Murphy) at Chicago (Peters)
Kansas City (Butler) at San Diego (Podres)
Montreal (Renko) at Seattle (Pattin)

Cleveland 7, Philadelphia 1: Dick Ellsworth scattered nine hits in the complete-game win. Ken Suarez went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a pair of runs. Larry Brown also drove in a pair.

Chicago 4, California 1: Walt Williams' two-run homer in the fifth put the White Sox in front to stay. Bill Melton scored Chicago's other two runs. Billy Wynne went eight innings, allowing one run on six hits, for the win, and Wilbur Wood loaded the bases in the ninth but escaped unscathed for the save. Jim McGlothlin took the loss.

Kansas City 2, San Diego 0: Roger Nelson allowed four hits in eight innings for the win. Bob Oliver singled home one run in the first, and pinch-hitter Ed Kirkpatrick doubled in the second tally in the top of the ninth. Dick Kelley took the loss, and Mike Hedlund got the save with a perfect ninth.

Kansas City 2, San Diego 1: Ed Kirkpatrick doubled in both Royals runs in the sixth inning. Dick Drago went 7.2 innings for the win, allowing one run on seven hits. Tommy Sisk took the loss.

Seattle 8. Montreal 1: The Pilots plated six runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run double from Wayne Comer, and got five scoreless innings of relief from Gene Brabender and Mike Marshall. Shortstops John Donaldson and Ron Clark combined for three RBIs. Bill Meyer started for the Pilots and allowed one run in four innings before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the big fifth inning. Bob Bailey homered for the Expos in the second. Brabender is credited with the win, and Marshall gets the save for three innings of one-hit relief work. Bill Stoneman takes the loss. Jim Fairey was injured and will miss Sunday's game.

Player of the Day: Ed Kirkpatrick, Kansas City

Games of Friday, Sept. 12

Chicago             78      57      .578     ---
Seattle               79      61       .564     1.5
California          69      68      .504    10
Kansas City       70      69      .504    10
Cleveland          70      70      .500    10.5
Montreal           64      73       .467    15
Philadelphia      61      76       .445    18
San Diego         61      78       .438    19

Saturday's games
Philadelphia (Fryman) at Cleveland (Ellsworth)
California (McGlothlin) at Chicago (Wynne)
Kansas City (Nelson and Drago) at San Diego (Kelley and Sisk), 2
Montreal (Stoneman) at Seattle (Meyer)

San Diego 3, Cleveland 2: Joe Niekro went the distance, allowing two runs on eight hits. Luis Tiant also threw a complete game, allowing a leadoff homer to Ivan Murrell. One of the three runs he allowed was unearned. Murrell was injured and cannot play until Sept. 27. Teammate Roberto Pena was also injured and is out until Sept. 22.

Player of the Day: Joe Niekro

Games of Thursday, Sept. 11

Chicago             78      57      .578     ---
Seattle               79      61       .564     1.5
California          69      68      .504    10
Cleveland          70      69      .504    10
Kansas City       70      69      .504    10
Montreal           64      73       .467    15
Philadelphia      61      76       .445    18
San Diego         60      78       .435    19.5

Friday's game
Cleveland (Tiant) at San Diego (Niekro)

Kansas City 5, California 3: Ed Kirkpatrick hit three doubles for the Royals, and Jim Rooker settled down after allowing three runs in the first to toss eight innings. Billy Cowan hit a two-run homer for the Angels in the first, and Bob Oliver homered for Kansas City. Andy Messersmith was the loser, nd Moe Drabowsky threw a perfect ninth for the save.

California 7, Kansas City 4: Jay Johnstone, Jim Fregosi and Aurelio Rodriguez each drove in two runs as the Angels salvaged at split at Kansas City.  Clyde Wright shut out the Royals for six innings before weakening with two outs in the seventh; all four runs were charged to him, but he still earned the win. Fregosi homered off loser Wally Bunker. Ken Tatum worked two scoreless innings for the save.

Cleveland 4, San Diego 3: Sam McDowell struck out 12 in the complete game win, and Eddie Leon and Lou Klimchock each hit two-run homers in the fifth inning for Cleveland. Chris Cannizzaro and Ed Spiezio each hit solo homers for the Padres. Clay Kirby was the losing pitcher.

Cleveland 5, San Diego 4, 14 innings: Ken Harrelson doubled to open the top of the 14th and scored on Larry Brown's two-out single. The Cleveland bullpen threw 11 scoreless innings, five of them by Mike Paul, after Steve Hargan allowed four runs in the first three innings. Larry Burchart (three innings) got the win, and Stan Williams picked up the save. Dave Roberts took the loss for the Padres. Jose Cardenal went 3-for-5 with two steals, a run, an RBI and two walks, and Brown had four hits but also had a two-base error that plated a pair of runs in the second inning.

Philadelphia 12, Montreal 4: The Phillies blew the game open with a seven-run seventh and added three more in the eighth. Deron Johnson hit a three-run homer off loser Claude Raymond and Mike Ryan a two-run homer off Dick Radatz in the seventh; Dick Allen and Cookie Rojas hit back-to-back homers in the eighth off Larry Jaster. John Boozer allowed one run in two innings of relief for the win.

Chicago 4, Seattle 3: Luis Aparicio hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to put the White Sox ahead, and Joel Horlen scattered five hits in eight innings as Chicago protected its narrow lead in the standings. Tommy Davis pinch-hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Wilbur Wood, who still got the save. Steve Barber was the loser. Tommy Harper stole three bases and scored a run for Seattle.

Player of the Day: Luis Aparicio, Chicago

Games of Wednesday, Sept. 10

Chicago             77      57      .575     ---
Seattle               79      60       .568     0.5
California          68      67      .504      9.5
Kansas City       69      68      .504      9.5
Cleveland          68      69      .496    10.5
Montreal           64      72       .471    15
Philadelphia      60      76       .442    18
San Diego         60      76       .442    18

Thursday's games
California (Messersmith and Wright) at Kansas City (Rooker and Bunker), 2
Cleveland (McDowell and Hargan) at San Diego (Kirby and Santorini), 2
Montreal (Wegener) at Philadelphia (Wise)
Chicago (Horlen) at Seattle (Barber)

Philadelphia 5, Montreal 1: Rick Joseph hit a three-run homer in the first inning and added another RBI with a fourth-inning single to supply Grant Jackson with the lead. Jackson went the distance, allowing six hits, only two after the third inning. Jerry Robertson took the loss for the Expos.

Montreal 7, Philadelphia 1: Rusty Staub homered and drove in four runs to back Gary Waslewski's seven shutout innings. Kevin Collins homered and doubled with a pair of RBIs for the Expos. Bill Champion took the loss for the Phillies.

Seattle 3, Chicago 2: Wayne Comer homered and scored twice for the Pilots, who got 7.1 innings of four-hit ball from John Gelnar. Two of those hits were unlikely leadoff triples, one by Gail Hopkins and the other from Ed Herrmann, that the White Sox turned into runs. John O'Donoghue nailed down the win with 1.2 innings of hitless relief. Tommy John took the loss.

Player of the Day: Rusty Staub, Montreal

Games of Tuesday, Sept. 9

Chicago             77      56      .579     ---
Seattle               78      60       .565     1.5
California          68      67      .504    10
Kansas City       69      68      .504    10
Cleveland          68      69      .496    11
Montreal           63      71       .470    15.5
San Diego         60      76       .442    18.5
Philadelphia      59      75       .440    18.5

Wednesday's games
Montreal (Waslewski and Robertson) at Philadelphia (Jackson and Champion), 2
Chicago (John) at Seattle (Gelnar)

California 1, Kansas City 0: Jim Spencer scored the only run of the game. He came in on a double play grounder in the second inning. Rudy May went 7.1 innings for the win, allowing five hits and three walks. He worked out of jams in the sixth and seventh innings. Hoyt Wilhelm got the final five outs, allowing only a walk, for the save. Bill Butler struck out nine in seven innings for Kansas City, allowing four hits.

Seattle 6, Chicago 4: Wayne Comer drove in three runs as the Pilots tightened the race. George Brunet allowed four unearned runs in 6.2 innings, and Jim Bouton and Bob Locker retired the final seven White Sox hitters to nail down the win. Gary Peters took the loss. Dick Simpson (Seattle) will miss the next two days with an injury.

Player of the Day: Wayne Comer, Seattle

Games of Monday, Sept. 8

Chicago             77      55      .583     ---
Seattle               77      60       .562     2.5
Kansas City       69      67      .507    10
California          67      67      .500    11
Cleveland          68      69      .496    11.5
Montreal           63      71       .470    16
Philadelphia      59      75       .440    19
San Diego         60      76       .442    19


Tuesday's games
California (May) at Kansas City (Butler)
Chicago (Peters) at Seattle (Brunet)

Montreal 5, Philadelphia 3: Adolpho Phillips hit a two-run homer and scored twice, and Bobby Wine also scored a pair of runs for the Expos. Howie Reed allowed three runs in five innings for the win, with Don Shaw throwing 3.2 scoreless innings before Claude Raymond entered with two on in the bottom of the ninth to strike out Dick Allen. Allen was 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored. Larry Hisle also homered. Jerry Johnson was the losing pitcher.

Kansas City 3, California 2: The Royals scored twice in the bottom of the ninth, with Ed Kirkpatrick tripling home Lou Piniella for the tying run and scoring the winner on Jerry Adair's grounder through the drawn-in infield. Ken Tatum took the loss; Tom Burgmeier was the winner. Pat Kelly was injured for the Royals and is eligible to return Sept. 19.

Player of the Day: Don Shaw, Montreal

Games of Sunday, Sept. 7

Chicago             77      55      .583     ---
Seattle               77      60       .562     2.5
California          67      66      .504    10.5
Kansas City       68      67      .504    10.5
Cleveland          68      69      .496    11.5
Montreal           62      71       .466    16.5
Philadelphia      59      74       .443    18.5
San Diego         60      76       .442    19


Monday's games
Montreal (Reed) at Philadelphia (Fryman)
California (Murphy) at Kansas City (Drago)

Kansas City 6, Montreal 0: Roger Nelson threw a four-hit shutout for the Royals, walking three and striking out 2. Jackie Hernandez scored twice and drove in a run; he had a single, a walk and a stolen base. The Expos committed four errors. Bill Stoneman took the loss; three of the five runs he allowed were unearned.

Philadelphia 13, California 5: Mike Ryan homered twice and drove in seven runs to cap a pair of big innings for the Phillies. Philadelphia plated six runs in the first inning to drive Jim McGlothlin from the box early, with Ryan hitting a three-run shot, and raked Eddie Fisher for five more in the seventh, with Ryan contributing a grand slam. Dick Allen and Johnny Callison also homered for the Phillies. Woodie Fryman allowed three earned runs in seven innings for the win.

Seattle 2, Cleveland 1, 10 innings: Wayne Comer singled home the winning run in the 10th off Larry Burchart. Duke Sims homered in the fourth for the only Cleveland run, off Diego Segui. Stan Williams, the Cleveland starter, left with a minor injury after the first inning, and Mike Paul threw five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Burchart took the loss; John O'Donoghue, who retired the only man he faced, was credited with the win.

Player of the Day: Mike Ryan, Philadelphia.

Games of Saturday, Sept. 6

Chicago             77      55      .583     ---
Seattle               76      60       .559     3
California          67      65      .508    10
Kansas City       67      67      .500    11
Cleveland          68      68      .500    11
Montreal           62      70       .470    16
San Diego         60      76       .442    19
Philadelphia      58      74       .439    19


Sunday's games
Kansas City (Nelson) at Montreal (Stoneman)
Cleveland (Williams) at Seattle (Segui)
Philadelphia (Fryman) at California (McGlothlin)

Montreal 4, Kansas City 0: Mark Wegener went eight innings for the win and drove in a pair of runs with a seventh-inning triple. Wegener allowed six hits and walked six, but threw two double-play balls. Ron Fairly hit a solo homer for the Expos. Wally Bunker took the loss.

San Diego 6, Chicago 3: Nate Colbert hit a two-run homer and Ollie Brown scored a pair of runs for the Padres. Tommy Sisk shut out the White Sox for six inning before weakening in the seventh and got the win; Gary Ross retired all six men he faced for the save. Gary Bell took the loss. Luis Aparicio (White Sox) and Larry Stahl (Padres) were each injured and will miss the next three days.

Chicago 4, San Diego 0: Joel Horlen scattered six hits and one walk in his shutout and drove in the first two runs of the game with a sixth-inning single that chased loser Clay Kirby. Horlen fanned five and faced just four men over the minimum. 

California 3, Philadelphia 1: Andy Messersmith scattered seven hits in eight innings while striking out eight and also scored a run and drove in another for the Angels. Ken Tatum retired all three men in the ninth for the save. Rick Wise took the loss.

Cleveland 3, Seattle 0: Dick Ellsworth went the distance, scattering seven hits and striking out three without a walk. Ken Harrelson homered for Cleveland, and Eddie Leon singled and drew three walks in four trips to the plate. Marty Pattin allowed one earned run in six innings for the loss.

Player of the Day: Joel Horlen, Chicago

Games of Friday, Sept. 5

Chicago             76      54      .584     ---
Seattle               76      59       .563     2.5
California          66      65      .504    10.5
Kansas City       67      66      .504    10.5
Cleveland          67      68      .496    11.5
Montreal           61      70       .466    16.5
Philadelphia      58      73       .443    18.5
San Diego         59      75       .440    19

Saturday's games
Kansas City (Bunker) at Montreal (Wegener)
San Diego (Kirby and Sisk) at Chicago (Horlen and Bell), 2
Cleveland (Ellsworth) at Seattle (Pattin)
Philadelphia (Wise) at California (Messersmith)

Cleveland 4, Seattle 2: Eddie Leon's two-run homer in the top of the eighth broke the tie. Sam McDowell went the distance for the win. He allowed eight hits, one a homer by Ray Oyler, and struck out five. Garry Roggenburk took the loss. The Pilots were charged with four errors. Tony Horton was injured (three days) and may play again beginning Sept. 9.

Seattle 5, Cleveland 2: Consecutive doubles by Tommy Harper and Mike Hegan ignited a three-run sixth inning that lifted the Pilots to the win. Rich Rollins homered for Seattle, Jose Cardenal for Cleveland. Gene Brabender went seven innings for the win. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Luis Tiant went all eight innings for Cleveland. John O'Donoghue threw two scoreless innings for the save.

San Diego 7, Chicago 4: Ollie Brown opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first and drove in two more runs on his 4-for-5 night. Dick Kelley, supported by four double plays, threw eight scoreless innings before weakening in the ninth. Tommy John took the loss. Al Ferrara was injured (one day).

Player of the Day: Ollie Brown, San Diego.

Games of Thursday, Sept 4

Chicago             76      53      .589     ---
Seattle               75      58       .564     3
California          66      65      .504    11
Kansas City       67      66      .504    11
Cleveland          66      67      .496    12
Montreal           61      70       .466    17
Philadelphia      58      73       .443    19
San Diego         58      75       .436    20

Friday's games
Cleveland (McDowell and Tiant) at Seattle (Gelnar and Brabender), 2
San Diego (Kelley) at Chicago (John)

Montreal 5, Kansas City 3: Ron Fairly pinch-hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Bill Butler was the hard luck loser; two of the four runs charged against him were unearned as the Royals were charged with three errors. Claude Raymond was credited with the win, and Dan McGinn picked up the save.

California 7, Philadelphia 1: Rudy May allowed one unearned run in eight innings, scattering five hits while walking two and striking out six. Loser Grant Jackson was knocked out in the first inning, allowing five runs on three hits, three walks and an error. Rich Reichardt tripled home three runs in the inning; he scored twice in the game.

Player of the Day: Ron Fairly, Montreal

Games of Wednesday, Sept. 3

Chicago             76      53      .589     ---
Seattle               75      58       .564     3
Kansas City       67      65      .508    10.5
California          65      65      .500    11.5
Cleveland          66      67      .496    12
Montreal           60      70       .461    17.5
Philadelphia      58      72       .446    18.5
San Diego         58      75       .436    20

Thursday's games
Philadelphia (Jackson) at California (May)
Kansas City (Butler) at Montreal (Robertson)

Chicago 4, Seattle 3: Tom McCraw capped a string of ninth-inning singles to plate the winning run off Jim Bouton. Ray Oyler of the Pilots and Bobby Knoop of the White Sox each had two-run doubles, and pinch-hitter Danny Walton hit a solo homer for Seattle. Dan Osinski threw two scoreless innings for the win.

Chicago 8, Seattle 7: Pinch-hitter Gail Hopkins doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth as the White Sox again beat up the Seattle bullpen to sweep the doubleheader and tighten their grip on first place. Jack Hamilton got the win despite allowing two runs in two innings of work, Wilbur Wood the save and Bob Locker took the loss. Carlos May hit a two-run homer for Chicago. Tommy Harper had a solo shot for the Pilots. Duane Josephson (Chicago) was injured and cannot play until Sept. 19. Gary Kolb has been activated off the emergency list to give the White Sox a second catcher with Ed Herrmann also injured.

Cleveland 8, San Diego 1: Mike Paul threw a four-hitter while striking out nine for the Tribe, and Dave Nelson went 3-for-3 with a run, two RBIs, two steals, a double and a walk. Loser Al Santorini wild-pitched in two runs and yielded five steals in five innings. Roberto Pena homered for the sole San Diego run.

Cleveland 4, San Diego 2: Steve Hargan allowed two runs on one hit and four walks on short rest, Tony Horton went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a double, and Ken Harrelson scored twice. Joe Niekro took the loss, and Ron Law got the save.

Kansas City 5, California 3: Mike Fiore drove in three runs with a homer and a triple for Kansas City, and Mike Hedlund allowed three runs in seven innings for the win. Moe Drabowsky got the final out for the save. The Angels left the bases loaded in their three-run fivth inning and left men in scoring position in each of the next three. Vic Davalillo was injured and cannot play until Sept. 11.

Player of the Day: Gail Hopkins, Chicago

Games of Tuesday, Sept. 2

Chicago             74      53      .582     ---
Seattle               75      56       .572     1
California          65      64      .504    10
Kansas City       66      65      .504    10
Cleveland          64      67      .489    12
Montreal           60      70       .461    16.5
Philadelphia      58      72       .446    17.5
San Diego         58      73       .442    18

Wednesday's games
Seattle (Barber and Brunet) at Chicago (Peters and Ellis), 2
Cleveland (Paul and Hargan) at San Diego (Niekro and Santorini), 2
Kansas City (Hedlund) at California (Kealey)

Seattle 9, Chicago 6: Don Mincher hit a three-run homer and an RBI single to power the Pilots. Diego Segui allowed three runs in seven innings for the win. Mike Hegan scored three runs. Bobby Knopp hit a three-run homer for Chicago. Joel Horlen allowed five runs in three innings for the loss, Ed Herrmann (Chicago) was injured and may play again on Sept. 7.

Chicago 6, Seattle 5: Pinch-hitter Don Pavelitch doubled home two runs with two out in the bottom of the ninth to cap a four-run inning and keep the White Sox in first place. Jack Hamilton got the win with a scoreless inning of relief, and John O'Donoghue was charged with the loss. Mike Hegan, who went 5-for-5, hit a two-run homer for the Pilots, and Bob Christian hit a solo shot for the White Sox.

Kansas City 7, California 2: Steve Jones, making a spot start for the injured Dick Drago, allowed two runs in five innings, while Mike Fiore went 4-for-4 and Lou Piniella hit a two-run homer. Fiore walked, doubled in a run and scored twice. Tom Murphy took the loss for California, which stranded 13 baserunners.

California 4, Kansas City 0: Vern Geishert and a pair of relievers combined for a three-hit shutout, and Geishert drove in two runs with a single in the second inning. The teams combined for six errors, three of them by Angels pitchers (Geishert 2, Eddie Fisher 1), and two of the four runs charged to Jim Rooker were unearned.

San Diego 4, Cleveland 3 (10 innings): The bats awoke in the 10th inning of what had been a pitchers duel. Ken Harrelson hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th off Bill McCool, who was in his third inning of relief. But Horacio Pina allowed five straight singles in the bottom of the inning, the last sneaking through the drawn-in infield to plate Ollie Brown with the game-winner. Brown also had a home run in the third inning off Cleveland starter Stan Williams, who went nine innings allowing one run on seven hits.

Player of the Day: Mike Hegan, Seattle

Games of Monday, Sept. 1

Chicago             73      52      .584     ---
Seattle               74      55       .574     1 
California          64      63      .504    10
Kansas City       65      64      .504    10
Cleveland          64      66      .492    11.5
Montreal           60      70       .461    16.5
Philadelphia      58      72       .446    16.5
San Diego         57      73       .438    18.5

Tuesday's games
Seattle (Marshall and Segui) at Chicago (Horlen and Edmondson), 2
Kansas City (Rooker and Drago) at California (Murphy and Geishert), 2
Cleveland (Williams) at San Diego (Kirby)

Montreal 2, Philadelphia 1: Adolpho Phillips and Bob Bailey hit solo homers, and Gary Waslewski and Dan McGinn combined for a four-hitter. McGinn got seven outs for the save, striking out three and not allowing a ball out of the infield. Woodie Fryman took the loss.

Montreal 14, Philadelphia 8: The Expos knocked out Rick Wise in the second inning and piled on against Turk Farrell. Ty Cline and Mack Jones each scored three runs, Rusty Staub drove in three, and Coco Laboy went 4-for-5. Jones had a triple and two doubles. Ron Fairly and Kevin Collins homered. Bill Stoneman staggered through six innings, allowing all eight Phillies runs, but got the win.

Seattle 5, Chicago 3: Tommy Davis doubled in a pair of runs in the seventh inning as the Pilots overtook the White Sox. Carlos May hit a three-run homer in the first to give Chicago all its runs before Marty Pattin retired a hitter, but the White Sox got only one more hit the rest of the way. Jim Bouton got the win with two innings of relief, and Bob Locker got the save. Tommy Harper reached base four times, scoring two runs. Davis had a pair of doubles. Tommy John took the loss. Bill Melton (Chicago) was injured and may play again on Sept. 4.

Chicago 3, Seattle 2: Pete Ward, filling in for the injured Bill Melton at third base, doubled home a pair of runs and scored another after drawing a leadoff walk, and Jerry Nyman threw six scoreless innings before allowing a two-run homer in the seventh to Jim Pagliaroni. The Sox won despite being held to six hits by loser Bob Meyer and Jim Bouton. Wilbur Wood got the save.

California 6, Kansas City 4: Jim Spencer's second homer of the game came with a man on in the bottom of the ninth and made a winner of Hoyt Wilhelm, who threw two scoreless frames. Spencer also doubled, singled, scored three runs and drove in three. Royals starter Wally Bunker wild pitched two runners home in the fourth inning. Tom Burgmeier took the loss for Kansas City. Jerry Adair (Royals) was injured and is eligible to return Sept. 3.

California 2, Kansas City 1 (13 innings): Jim Fregosi's short fly to center plated Sandy Alomar with the winning run. Pedro Borbon loaded the bases in the top of the 13th but wriggled out of the jam without allowing a run; Dave Wickersham wasn't as fortunate in the bottom half of the inning. Aurelio Rodriguez went 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and an RBI for the Angels. Clyde Wright went nine innings, allowing only an unearned run on five hits.

Cleveland 5, San Diego 4 (11 innings): Frank Reberger wild-pitched the go-ahead run home in the 11th, the second inning in a row that he allowed the Tribe to take the lead after the Padres tied the game in the ninth with a two-run rally against Luis Tiant. Horacio Pina, who coughed up the 10th inning lead, vultured the win, and Ron Law got the save. Ollie Brown homered for the Padres in the first inning. 

San Diego 2, Cleveland 0: Johnny Podres threw a three-hit shutout and faced one batter over the minimum. Dick Ellsworth was nearly as good; he also threw a three-hitter (eight innings), but he walked two men ahead of Ollie Brown's two-out triple in the third inning. 

Player of the Day: Johnny Podres, San Diego

Games of Sunday, Aug. 31

Chicago             72      51      .585     ---
Seattle               73      54       .575      1
Kansas City       65      62      .512      9
California          62      63      .496    11
Cleveland          63      65      .492    11.5
Montreal           58      70       .453    16.5
Philadelphia      58      70       .453    16.5
San Diego         56      72       .438    18

Monday's games
Philadelphia (Fryman and Wise) at Montreal (Stoneman and Waslewski), 2
Seattle (Pattin and Meyer) at Chicago (John and Nyman), 2
Kansas City (Bunker and Nelson) at California (McGlothlin and Wright), 2
Cleveland (Tiant and Ellsworth) at San Diego (Sisk and Podres) 2

Cleveland 14, Chicago 2: Sam McDowell allowed five hits and struck out nine in the complete game. The Indians scored six runs in the fifth and had a pair of three-run innings. Vern Fuller scored three runs, and Jose Cardenal and Max Alvis scored twice apiece, while Larry Brown drove in three runs. The White Sox had a brutal day afield, committing four errors and failing to make other plays they usually make. Gary Bell took the loss. Cardenal homered for the Tribe.

California 3, Montreal 1: Andy Messersmith threw a five-hitter and the Angels pieced together three runs despite leaving 11 men on base. Mark Wegener took the loss; he allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings. Ty Cline doubled twice for Montreal but was caught napping on the hidden ball trick in the first inning.

Seattle 10, San Diego 6: Mike Hegan put the Pilots ahead to stay with a two-run pinch-hit double in the eighth inning. The win was awarded to Mike Marshall, who faced three hitters and got three outs in the ninth to protect a four-run lead, as pitcher of record John O'Donoghue allowed two runs in two innings. Wayne Comer scored three runs and drove in one. The Padres return Gary Kolb to the emergency list.

Player of the Day: Wayne Comer, Seattle

Roster note: Roster limits are lifted for September, so all players are now active. Injuries still apply. 

Games of Saturday, Aug. 30

Chicago             72      50      .590     ---
Seattle               72      54       .571      2
Kansas City       65      62      .512      9.5
California          61      63      .491    12
Cleveland          62      65      .488    12
Montreal           58      69       .457    16.5
Philadelphia      58      70       .453    16.5
San Diego         56      71       .441    18

Sunday's games
Chicago (Bell) at Cleveland (McDowell)
Montreal (Wegener) at California (Messersmith)
Seattle (Brabender) at San Diego (Kelley)

Philadelphia 10, Kansas City 3: Grant Jackson went the distance in a sloppy contest. The Royals fielders were charged with four errors, and the Royals pitchers walked 10, four of them with the bases loaded. Jackson scattered 10 hits and walked two. Dave Morehead took the loss for the Royals.

Kansas City 6, Philadelphia 5: Mike Fiore hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Royals in front for good, and Kansas City survived two homers by John Briggs and one from Cookie Rojas. Winner Bill Butler allowed just six hits in 7.2 innings, but three of them were the home runs. Joe Keough tripled home two runs for the Royals. Lowell Palmer took the loss, and Moe Drabowsky retired the last two hitters for the save. Joe Foy was injured for four days and will remain on the active list. He's eligible to play Sept. 4.

Cleveland 11, Chicago 9: The Indians scored eight runs in the bottom of the eighth to stun the first-place Pale Hose. The Tribe got six hits and four walks in the inning and benefited from a Luis Aparicio error. Dan Osinski took the loss. Ron Law, who allowed two runs in two innings, was credited with the win. Bobby Knoop hit a three-run homer in the ninth to make the final score close. Aparicio homered to lead off the game.  Ken Berry went 4-for-5 with a homer, a doubled, two runs and an RBI.

San Diego 5, Seattle 3: Chris Cannizzaro hit a two-run homer, and Jose Arcia had a pair of RBI hits for the Podres. Bill McCool retired all four Pilots he faced for the win, and Frank Reberge navigated a pair of two-out hits in the ninth for the save. Bob Locker took the loss. Wayne Comer homered for Seattle.

California 4, Montreal 3: Aurelio Rodriguez broke the tie with an eighth-inning homer off Don Shaw. Jay Johnstone homered in the third for the Angels, and Jim Fregosi and Jim Spencer hit consecutive RBI doubles in the fifth. Rusty Staub had a two-run homer off Rudy May and drove in the other Expo run with a sac fly in the seventh. May gets the win, Ken Tatum the save.

Player of the Day: Aurelio Rodiguez, California

Games of Friday, Aug. 29

Chicago             72      49      .595     ---
Seattle               72      53       .576      2
Kansas City       64      61      .512    10
California          60      63      .487    13
Cleveland          61      65      .484    13
Montreal           58      68       .460    16.5
Philadelphia      57      69       .452    17
San Diego         55      71       .437    19

Saturday's games
Chicago (Peters) at Cleveland (Hargan)
Philadelphia (Jackson and Palmer) at Kansas City (Butler and Morehead), 2
Seattle (Gelnar) at San Diego (Niekro)
Montreal (Robertson) at California (May)

San Diego 5, Seattle 1: John Sipin homered twice off Steve Barber and drove in four runs, while Clay Kirby threw a three-hit complete game for the Padres. Kirby walked one and fanned four.  Ollie Brown also homered for San Diego.

Seattle 3, San Diego 2: George Burnet tossed seven shutout innings for the Pilots for the win, allowing just three hits but walking five with eight strikeouts. John O'Donoghue got the last out with the tying run on after the Padres stung Diego Segui for three hits and two runs in the ninth. Tommy Davis drew three walks and tripled in four trips to the plate against loser Al Santorini, who walked eight in seven innings.

Chicago 2, Cleveland 1: Ken Berry singled home two runs in the eighth inning, and Joel Horlen allowed one run on five hits in seven innings for the win. Wilbur Wood induced a double play grounder to end the game. Mike Paul stranded 10 baserunners in the first seven innings but couldn't escape the eighth and took the loss. Walt Williams was injured (3 days) and will remain on the roster. He's eligible to play Sept. 2.

Kansas City 7, Philadelphia 5: Ed Kirkpatrick hit a pair of two-run homers, but it took RBI doubles in the eighth inning from Pat Kelly and Lou Piniella to lift the Royals to the win. Steve Jones got the win with two scoreless innings of relief; Turk Farrell took the loss. Rick Joseph hit a three-run homer off Mike Hedlund in the fifth for Philadelphia.

California 6, Montreal 1: Aurelio Rodriguez drove in two runs and scored a pair to support Tom Murphy's complete game five-hitter. Lose Steve Renko walked four men in a three-run fourth. Jose Azcue was injured and will miss the next two days.

Player of the day: Clay Kirby, San Diego

Games of Thursday, Aug. 28

Chicago             71      49      .592     ---
Seattle               71      52       .577      1.5
Kansas City       63      61      .508    10
Cleveland          61      64      .488    12.5
California          59      63      .483    13
Montreal           58      67       .464    15.5
Philadelphia      57      68       .456    16
San Diego         54      70       .435    18.5

Friday's games
Seattle (Gelnar and Barber) at San Diego (Kirby and Santorini), 2
Chicago (Horlen) at Cleveland (Paul)
Philadelphia (James) at Kansas City (Hedlund)
Montreal (Renko) at California (Murphy)

Chicago 8, Cleveland 2: The White Sox broke open the game with a seven-run seventh, Tommy McCraw drove in two with a pinch-hit triple and Carlos May hit a two-run homer. Paul Edmondson threw seven scoreless innings for the Sox, allowing three hits but walking four and hitting one. Luis Tiant took the loss.

Cleveland 4, Chicago 1: Stan Williams threw a two-hitter and struck out 13. Larry Brown went 3-for-4 and scored twice and Jose Cardenal drove in a pair. Ken Harrelson homered. Tommy John allowed all four runs in eight innings.

Philadelphia 4, Kansas City 2: Terry Harmon went 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI to help power the Phillies. Rick Wise allowed two runs in seven innings. Four of the five hits he allowed came in the Royals' two-third. Tom Burgmeier took the loss; Al Raffo got the save. Dick Allen was injured (10 games) and is eligible to play Sept. 7.

Philadelphia 13, Kansas City 9: The Phillies scored 11 runs in the final two innings to get the doubleheader sweep. Rick Joseph hit a bases-loaded triple in the ninth to put the Phillies ahead. A two-base error by Joe Foy with two out in the ninth made the final five runs unearned. Steve Jones took the loss, and Turk Farrell got the win. Ellie Rodriguez hit a grand slam for the Royals in the seventh.

California 11, Montreal 1: Jim McGlothlin threw seven scoreless innings while Jim Fregosi and Rick Reichardt each drove in four runs. Fregosi homered, doubled and singled, while Reichardt had a bases-loaded triple. Ron Fairly homered for Montreal. Gary Sutherland (two games) and John Bateman (three games) were each injured for the Expos; they will remain on the roster. Dick Radatz was deactivated after working three innings and John Boccabella activated. The Angels returned Tom Tischinski to the emergency list and reactivated Joe Azcue.

Player of the Day: Terry Harmon, Philadelphia

Games of Wednesday, Aug. 27

Chicago             70      48      .593     ---
Seattle               71      52       .577      1.5
Kansas City       63      59      .516      9
Cleveland          60      63      .488    12.5
California          58      63      .479    13.5
Montreal           58      66       .467    15
Philadelphia      55      68       .447    17
San Diego         54      70       .435    18.5


Thursday's games
Chicago (John and Edmondson) at Cleveland (Tiant and Williams), 2
Philadelphia (Wise and Champion) at Kansas City (Rooker and Drago), 2
Montreal (Reed) at California (McGlothlin)

Chicago 6, Philadelphia 5: The Phillies led 5-0 after two innings but frittered the lead away. Buddy Bradford hit a three-run homer off Woodie Fryman in the sixth, and the Sox took the lead in the ninth on a single, a walk, a double and a sac fly. Gary Bell started for Chicago but surrendered four runs in the first, including a three-run homer by Rick Joseph and was hit for in the top of the second. Don Secrist worked five innings, allowing one run. Jerry Nyman got the win, Wilbur Wood the save and Bill Wilson took the loss.

Chicago 10, Philadelphia 5: Bobby Knoop scored three times, once on a homer, as the White Sox led all the the way. Ed Herrmann also homered for Chicago. Jerry Nyman threw 2.2 scoreless innings and is credited with the win. Jerry Johnson takes the loss. Both starters left early with injuries. Billy Wynne is out 10 days and is replaced on the roster by Paul Edmondson; Wynne is eligible to pitch again Sept. 8. Jerry Johnson is out 5 days and is replaced on the roster by Jeff James. Johnson will return with roster expansion and is eligible to pitch Sept. 2. The White Sox also demoted Don Secrest and activated Sammy Ellis; Secrest is eligible to return with roster expansion.

Seattle 7, Kansas City 5 (10 innings):  John Kennedy singled home two runs in the top of the 10th as the Pilots overcame a critical two-run misplay by Steve Hovley in the bottom of the ninth. With a man on and one down, Hovley played Pat Kelly's fly ball into a triple, then made a wild throw that allowed Kelly to score the tying run. Don Mincher hit a pair of homers for Seattle and drove in three runs. Mike Fiore homered for Kansas City. Diego Segui vultured the win, and Tom Burgmeier was the loser.

Kansas City 3, Seattle 2: Roger Nelson allowed one earned run in eight innings to salvage a split. Juan Rios homered in the second for Kansas City and drove in the Royals' final run with sixth-inning single. Moe Drabowsky worked a hitless ninth for the save. John Gelnar took the loss.

Cleveland 6, California 0: Sam McDowell fanned 13 in his three-hit shutout of the Angels. The game was scoreless into the sixth, when Larry Brown homered off Andy Messersmith. The Tribe broke the game open with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth, capped by a two-run homer by Tony Horton off Hoyt Wilhelm.

California 14, Cleveland 6: The Angels batted around twice and pummeled four Cleveland hurlers for 16 hits and eight walks. Sandy Alomar, Jay Johnstone and Lou Johnson each had three RBIs. Clyde Wright allowed four runs in five innings but got the win; Dick Ellsworth took the loss.

San Diego 8, Montreal 7, 12 innings: Larry Stahl pinch-hit the go-ahead homer in the top of the 12, then made a game-saving catch in the bottom of the inning for the Padres. Cito Gaston hit a grand slam for the Padres in the fifth off Bill Stoneman, then committed one of three consective San Diego errors in the bottom of the frame. Bill McCool got the win for San Diego after blowing a save; Frank Reberger converted his opportunity. Dick Radatz took the loss.

Player of the Day: Sam McDowell, Cleveland

Games of Tuesday, Aug. 26

Chicago             68      48      .586     ---
Seattle               70      51       .578    0.5
Kansas City       62      58      .517     8
Cleveland          59      62      .488    11.5
California          57      62      .479    12.5
Montreal           58      65       .471    13.5
Philadelphia      55      66       .455    15
San Diego         53      70       .431    18.5


Wednesday's games
Chicago (Wynne and Bell) at Philadelphia (Fryman and Johnson), 2
Seattle (Pattin and Meyer) at Kansas City (Bunker and Nelson), 2
Cleveland (McDowell and Ellsworth) at California (Messersmith and Wright), 2
San Diego (Ross) at Montreal (Stoneman)

Montreal 6, San Diego 5: The Expos plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth, with Coco Laboy driving home the winner with his second RBI of the game. Ollie Brown had a three-run homer in the seventh to put the Padres on top in what had been a pitchers duel, but the Expos used back-to-back triples by Rusty Staub and Bob Bailey in the eighth to pull to within one. Dick Radatz gets the win in relief, and Tommy Sisk the loss.

Montreal 9, San Diego 2: The Expos scored in five consecutive innings, while Gary Waslewski allowed five hits and two runs in seven innings for the win. Montreal got homers from Don Bosch and John Bateman, while Bob Bailey drew a pair of bases-loaded walks. Nate Colbert homered for the Padres. John Podres took the loss.

Chicago 4, Philadelphia 1: The White Sox scored three runs in the first and got seven innings of seven-hit, one-run pitching from Gary Peters. Buddy Bradford tripled for two runs and Don Pavletich doubled in another in the first off loser Grant Jackson. Walt Williams and Dick Allen exchanged homers later in the game. Dan Osinski and Wilbur Wood each retired all three men they faced to end the game for the Sox. Pavletich was injured (three days) and will be replaced on the roster by Carlos May; Pavletich is eligible to return when rosters expand.

Player of the Day: Bob Bailey, Montreal

Games of Monday, Aug. 25

Chicago             67      48      .582     ---
Seattle               70      51       .578    ---
Kansas City       62      58      .517      7.5
Cleveland          59      62      .488    11
California          57      62      .479    12
Montreal           56      65       .462    14
Philadelphia      55      65       .458    14.5
San Diego         53      68       .438    17


Tuesday's games
San Diego (Kelley and Podres) at Montreal (Wegener and Waslewski), 2
Chicago (Peters) at Philadelphia (Jackson)

San Diego 2, Montreal 1: Nate Colbert broke the 1-1 tie with a homer leading off the top of the ninth off Roy Face, and Joe Niekro allowed one unearned run in 8.2 innings. Niekro allowed six hits. Loser Jerry Robertson allowed one run on three hit in seven innings with seven strikeouts. Tommy Sisk got the final out with the bases loaded for the save.

Seattle 3, Kansas City 0: Gene Brabender threw a three-hit shutout, and the Pilots took advantage of a Jackie Hernandez error in the first to plate all three runs. Steve Whitaker hit a two-out homer off Bill Butler to cap the scoring. Brabender walked five and struck out eight.

Cleveland 8, California 4: Ken Harrelson and Tony Horton each homered twice, and Eddie Leon added another as the Tribe rocked Rudy May. Steve Hargan went seven innings for the win; he allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five. Horton drove in three runs and Harrelson scored three times.

Player of the Day: Gene Brabender, Seattle

Games of Sunday, Aug. 24

Chicago             67      48      .582     ---
Seattle               69      51       .575     0.5
Kansas City       62      57      .521      7
Cleveland          58      62      .483    11.5
California          57      61      .483    11.5
Montreal           56      64       .450    13.5
Philadelphia      55      65       .458    14.5
San Diego         52      68       .433    17.5


Monday's games
San Diego (Niekro) at Montreal (Robertson)
Seattle (Brabender) at Kansas City (Butler)
Cleveland (Hargan) at California (May)

Cleveland 4, San Diego 2: Tony Horton hit a two-run homer in the first inning to put Cleveland ahead for good. Ken Harrelson hit a solo shot in the eighth. Luis Tiant went 8.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. Horacio Pina retired Ollie Brown and Nate Colbert with a man on for the final two outs and the save. Clay Kirby took the loss; he went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and six walks. Walt Hriniak was injured (7 games) and will replaced on the roster by Cary Kolb off the emergency list. Hriniak is eligible to return Sept. 1 with the expanded rosters.

Chicago 6, Montreal 4 (13 innings): Bill Melton hit a pair of homers, the latter in the top of the 12th to put the White Sox in the lead. Ed Herrmann also homered for Chicago, while the Expos got long balls from Ron Fairly, John Bateman and Rusty Staub. Staub's homer, in the bottom of the 11th off Wilbur Wood, tied the game after the Sox had taken their first lead. Wood gets the win with three innings of one-run relief; Don Shaw took the loss.

Seattle 9. California 6 (13 innings): Don Mincher drove in seven runs, the last three with a homer in the top of the 13th to saddle Bob Priddy, the final Angels reliever, with the loss. Tommy Harper had two hits, three walks, three steals and three runs scored for the Pilots. John O'Donoghue got the win and John Gelnar the save; the Seattle bullpen allowed two runs in 11 innings after George Brunet only made it through the second. Rick Reichardt was injured (3 games) and will remain on the roster.

Player of the Day: Don Mincher, Seattle

Games of Saturday, Aug. 23

Chicago             66      48      .579     ---
Seattle               68      51       .571     0.5
Kansas City       62      57      .521      7
California          57      60      .487    11
Cleveland          57      62      .479    12
Montreal           56      63       .470    13
Philadelphia      55      65       .458    14.5
San Diego         52      67       .437    17


Sunday's games
San Diego (Kirby) at Cleveland (Tiant)
Chicago (Horlen) at Montreal (Renko)
Seattle (Brunet) at California (Murphy)

Montreal 4, Chicago 3: The Expos battered Chicago relief ace Wilbur Wood for three runs in the final two innings to overtake the White Sox. Rusty Staub doubled home two runs in the eighth; he also homered in the ninth. Gary Sutherland singled home Bobby Wine in the ninth for the decisve tally. Dick Radatz got the win with a perfect top of the ninth. Bill Melton hit a solo homer in the third for Chicago. The White Sox have reactivated Tommy McCraw and deactivated Angel Bravo.

San Diego 7, Philadelphia 4 (14 innings): Nate Colbert belted a three-run homer off Al Raffo to win the marathon. Colbert also hit a game-tying two-run homer off John Boozer with two outs in the ninth to tie the game. Johnny Podres got the win with two innings of hitless relief; Dave Roberts got the save. Dick Allen homered for Philadelphia. After the game the Philles demoted starter Jeff Jones and reactivated Deron Johnson.

Cleveland 4, Kansas City 0: Russ Snyder drove in three runs with a 4-for-5 game, and Stan Williams allowed two hits in seven innings. Snyder had a pair of doubles. Williams walked two and struck out six. Mike Paul and Larry Burchart each threw a scoreless inning after Williams left for a pinch-hitter. Dick Drago took the loss.

California 4, Seattle 3: Rick Reichardt went 3-for-4 and scored twice for the Angels. Clyde Wright got one out in the top of the sixth and wound up with the win. Don Mincher hit a two-run homer for Seattle. Steve Barber took the loss, and Hoyt Wilhelm threw three scoreless innings for the save.

Player of the Day: Nate Colbert, San Diego

Games of Friday, Aug. 22

Chicago             66      47      .584     ---
Seattle               68      50       .576     0.5
Kansas City       62      56      .525      6.5
California          56      60      .483    11.5
Cleveland          56      62      .475    12.5
Montreal           55      63       .466    13.5
Philadelphia      55      64       .462    14
San Diego         51      67       .432    17.5


Friday's games
San Diego (Santorini) at Philadelphia (James)
Chicago (John) at Montreal (Stoneman)
Cleveland (Williams) at Kansas City (Drago)
Seattle (Barber) at California (McGlothlin)

Philadelphia 3, San Diego 2: Cookie Rojas drove in Don Money with a walk-off triple off reliever Tommy Sisk. Rich Joseph homered and drove in a run with a single. Al Raffo threw two scoreless innings for the win.

Kansas City 2, Cleveland 1: Chuck Harrison singled home Buck Martinez with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Royals overcame 10 strikeouts to beat Sam McDowell. Jim Rooker allowed three hits in eight innings; Moe Drabowsky tossed a perfect ninth for the save. McDowell allowed seven hits and two walks. After the game, the Royals deactivated Jim Campanis and reactivated Pat Kelly. Campanis is eligible to return when rosters expand.

Seattle 8, California 4:  The Pilots scored six runs off Andy Messersmith in the sixth inning, piling up four walks and four singles in the inning. Marty Pattin allowed one run in five innings for the win; Pattin allowed four hits without a walk. Tommy Harper homered, doubled, singled, drew three walks, stole a base, scored twice and drove in a pair. Steve Hovley drove in three runs. Jerry McNertney was injured (7 days) and will be replaced on the roster by Merritt Ranew. McNertney is eligible to return when rosters expand.

Player of the Day: Tommy Harper, Seattle

Games of Thursday, Aug. 21

Chicago             66      47      .584     ---
Seattle               67      50       .572     1
Kansas City       61      56      .521      7
California          56      59      .487    11
Cleveland          56      61      .478    12
Montreal           55      63       .466    13.5
Philadelphia      54      64       .458    14.5
San Diego         51      66       .436    17.5


Friday's games
San Diego (Ross) at Philadelphia (Wise)
Cleveland (McDowell) at Kansas City (Rooker)
Seattle (Pattin) at California (Messersmith)

Philadelphia 7, San Diego 2: Grant Jackson allowed two runs in the first, then shut down the Padres for the next six innings. John Briggs tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first and added a double, an RBI single and a walk. Jackson walked five but got a pair of double play grounders and fanned six. Joe Niekro took the loss. Cito Gaston was injured (three days) and will remain on the roster.

San Diego 8, Philadelphia 2: Nate Colbert hit three homers for the Padres, and Dick Kelley held the Phillies to five hits in eight innings. Colbert drove in five runs with his three blasts, two off losing pitcher Woodie Fryman and the last off reliever John Boozer. Kelley surrendered a pair of back-to-back homers to Cookie Rojas and Mike Ryan in the fourth inning. The Padres hit for the cycle in a three-run first: double by Ollie Brown, homer by Colbert, triple by Al Ferrara and single by Ed Spiezio.

Chicago 4, Montreal 3: Buddy Bradford hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run third, and Gary Peters scattered nine hits in eight innings for the White Sox. Jose Herrera pinch-hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Expos. Wilbur Wood worked a scoreless ninth for the save.

Kansas City 4, Cleveland 1: Roger Nelson took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with a three-hitter. The Royals scored three runs in the second off Dick Ellsworth. Duke Sims homered for the only Cleveland run. Nelson walked four but got three double play grounders.

Player of the Day: Nate Colbert, San Diego

Game of Wednesday, Aug. 20

Chicago             65      47      .580     ---
Seattle               67      50       .572     0.5
Kansas City       60      56      .517      7
California          56      59      .487    10.5
Cleveland          56      60      .483    11
Montreal           55      62       .470    12.5
Philadelphia      53      63       .457    14
San Diego         50      65       .435    17


Thursday's games
San Diego (Niekro and Kelley) at Philadelphia (Jackson and Fryman)
Chicago (Peters) at Montreal (Waslewski)
Cleveland (Ellsworth) at Kansas City (Nelson)

Cleveland 5, Kansas City 2: Ken Harrelson led off a four-run third inning with a homer for the Tribe, and Vern Fuller doubled home two men in the frame. Luis Tiant allowed two runs in 6.1 innings for the win; he allowed five hits and three walks while striking out two. Mike Paul, Larry Burchart and Horacio Pina pieced together the final eight outs despite walking three men between them.

Player of the Day: Vern Fuller, Cleveland

Games of Tuesday, Aug. 19

Chicago              65     47      .580     ---
Seattle                67     50       .572     0.5
Kansas City       60      55      .522     6.5
California          56      59      .487    10.5
Cleveland          55      60      .478    11.5
Montreal           55      62       .470    12.5
Philadelphia      53      63       .457    14
San Diego         50      65       .435    17


Wednesday's game
Cleveland (Tiant) at Kansas City (Bunker)

Montreal 4, Seattle 3: Rusty Staub hit a two-run homer and Mark Wegener held the Pilots to two runs and four hits over 7.1 innings. Seattle stole four bases off Wegener, who walked five and struck out six. Gene Brabender took the loss for the Pilots, and Dan McGinn got the save despite allowing a solo homer to Jim Pagliaroni in the ninth. Wayne Comer also homered for Seattle.

Montreal 6, Seattle 2: Rusty Staub's two-run homer highlighted a five-run first for Montreal. Bill Stoneman allowed one earned run in eight innings. He yielded four hits, one a homer by Gerry McNertney, walked three and struck out five. Marty Pattin took the loss.

Cleveland 7, Philadelphia 1: Ken Harrelson ended Jerry Johnson's no-hit bid with a solo homer in the seventh inning to tie the score. The Indians then scored three in the eighth and four more in the ninth to run away from the Phillies. Larry Brown hit a three-run triple in the ninth. Steve Hargan went seven innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits, for the win; Ron Law threw two scoreless frames for the save.

Kansas City 4, San Diego 1: Bill Butler allowed four hits in 8.1 innings and Jerry Adair doubled in a pair of runs for Kansas City. Moe Drabowsky struck out the final two hitters, who each represented the tying run, for the save. Lou Piniella scored two runs.

Player of the Day: Rusty Staub, Montreal

Games of Monday, Aug. 18

Seattle               67    48       .582     ---
Chicago             65     47      .580     0.5
Kansas City       59     55      .518     7.5
California          56     59      .487    11
Cleveland          54     60      .473    12.5 
Montreal           54     62      .466    13.5 
Philadelphia      53     62      .461    14
San Diego         50     64      .439    17


Tuesday's games
Cleveland (Hargan) at Philadelphia (Jackson)
Seattle (Pattin and Brabender) at Montreal (Stoneman and Wegener), 2
San Diego (Kirby) at Kansas City (Butler)

Cleveland 4, Philadelphia 3 (11 innings): Larry Brown tripled home the winning run in the top of the 11th as the Indians survived a pair of home runs by Dick Allen. Allen hit a two-run homer off Sam McDowell in the third and a solo shot in the fifth. Ken Harrelson homered in the sixth for the Tribe. Russ Snyder scored the tying run in the ninth and the winner in the 11th. Horacio Pina got the win, Mike Paul the save, and John Boozer took the loss.

Seattle 3, Montreal 0: Bob Meyer threw a two-hitter for the Pilots and Steve Hovley went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Meyer walked three and struck out six. The Expos got a single in the sixth from Rusty Staub and another in the eighth from Gary Sutherland. Jerry Robertson took the loss.

Kansas City 6, San Diego 2: The Royals snapped their losing streak behind a strong outing from Dick Drago, who took a three-hit shutout into the ninth inning. Drago wound up going 8.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits; he didn't walk a Padre and fanned seven. Jackie Hernandez scored a pair of runs and drove in two. Al Santorini took the loss.

California 9, Chicago 2: Bill Voss hit a grand slam in the first inning and added an RBI single to power the Angels to the win. Jim McGlothlin went seven innings for the win, allowing two runs on seven hits. He fanned five without a walk. Joel Horlen took the loss. Bob Christian was injured for three days; he will remain on the Angels roster. Joe Azcue was injured for 10 days; he is off the roster and replaced by Tom Tischinski off the emergency list.

Player of the Day: Bob Meyer, Seattle

Games of Sunday, Aug. 17

Chicago             65     46      .585     ---
Seattle               66    48       .579     0.5
Kansas City       58     55      .513     8
California          56     59      .487    11
Montreal           54     61       .470   13 
Cleveland          53     60      .469    14
Philadelphia      53     61       .465   14.5
San Diego         50     63       .442   16.5


Monday's games
Cleveland (McDowell) at Philadelphia (Wise)
Seattle (Meyer) at Montreal (Robertson)
San Diego (Santorini) at Kansas City (Drago)
Chicago (Horlen) at California (McGlothlin)

Montreal 9, Seattle 2: Rusty Staub went 4-for-5 with a homer and double, driving in three runs, as the Expos pounded the Pilots. Steve Renko went the distance for the Expos, allowing six hits and just one earned run.  Gary Sutherland went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Starter Mike Marshall was the loser. After the game, the Pilots demoted Merritt Ranew and brought back Bob Meyer.

Chicago 7, California 0: Tommy John threw a eight-hit shutout and the White Sox moved into first place. Buddy Bradford hit a two-run homer in the eighth to salt the win. Luis Aparicio scored a pair of runs, and Don Pavletich and Walt Williams each tripled for Chicago. Clyde Wright took the loss.

Player of the Day: Rusty Staub, Montreal

Games of Saturday, Aug. 16

Seattle               66    47       .584     ---
Chicago             64     46      .581      0.5
Kansas City       58     55      .513      8
California          56     58      .491    10.5
Cleveland          53     60      .469    13
Montreal           53     61       .465   13.5
Philadelphia      53     61       .465   13.5
San Diego         50     63       .442   16


Sunday's games
Seattle (Marshall) at Montreal (Renko)
Chicago (John) at California (Wright)

Seattle 9, Montreal 7: John Donaldson hit a three-run double and Wayne Comer drove in two runs and scored twice himself as the Pilots prevailed in a slugfest. Steve Barber got the win despite allowing five runs in five innings. John O'Donoghue got the last out with the tying run on second for the save.  Gary Waslewski took the loss.

Cleveland 9, Philadelphia 3: Ken Harrelson homered twice and Luis Tiant struck out nine Phillies in a five-hitter. The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the fifth, when the Phillies scored three runs on some bloopers and shoddy Cleveland fielding, but the Tribe responded with five in the top of the sixth, with the Phillies committing a pair of errors. Jeff James took the loss for Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia 9. Cleveland 6: Cookie Rojas hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first and John Briggs hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Phillies salvaged a split of the doubleheader. Ken Harrelson went 3-for-4 with a double and a walk; he scored a run and drove in one. Bill Wilson was the winner with one perfect inning of relief; Stan Williams, working his fourth inning of relief, was the loser.

San Diego 4, Kansas City 0: Joe Niekro allowed five hits in eight innings for the Padres, while Larry Stahl went 4-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs and Jose Arcia scored twice. Niekro walked four and struck out two. Mike Hedlund took the loss.

San Diego 6, Kansas City 2: Dick Kelley took a shutout into the ninth inning and finished with a six-hitter. Al Ferrara hit a pair of doubles for the Padres, who scored three runs in the first and three more in the fifth. John Sipin (Padres) and Jim Campanis (Royals) were injured, each will miss two days and remain on the roster. The reeling Royals have lost six in a row.

Chicago 4, California 1 (11 innings): Buddy Bradford hit a three-run homer off Eddie Fisher in the 11th to lift the White Sox to the win. Bill Melton hit a pair of doubles and scored twice, once in the seventh to tie the game and ahead of Bradford's blast. Andy Messersmith fannsed 12 in nine innings, allowing four hits in nine innings. Jim Fregosi homered off Gary Bell in the fourth for the only California run; Bell went six innings and allowed three hits and struck out six. Carlos May came off the inactive list, replacing Angel Bravo; May was promptly injured again (six days) and returns to the inactive list, with Bravo returning to the active roster.

Player of the Day: Ken Harrelson, Cleveland

Games of Friday, Aug. 15

Seattle               65    47       .580     ---
Chicago             63     46      .574      0.5
Kansas City       58     53      .527      6.5
California          56     57      .496      9.5
Montreal           53     60       .469   12.5
Cleveland          52     59      .468    12.5
Philadelphia      52     60       .464   13
San Diego         48     63       .432   16.5


Saturday's games
Seattle (Barber) at Montreal (Waslewski)
Cleveland (Tiant and Paul) at Philadelphia (James and Champion), 2
San Diego (Niekro and Kelley) at Kansas City (Rooker and Hedlund), 2
Chicago (Bell) at California (Messersmith)

Seattle 5, Philadelphia 2: John Gelnar allowed one run on three hits in seven innings, striking out seven. Ray Oyler hit a two-run homer in the second inning off loser Woody Fryman, and Tommy Harper added a solo shot off Lowell Palmer in the eighth. Larry Hisle homered off reliever Diego Segui. Jim Pagliaroni was injured for Seattle and must miss the next two days. After the game, the Pilots reactivated Don Mincher and Merritt Ranew and deactivated Dick Simpson and Ron Clark; Simpson and Clark are eligible to return Aug. 26.

Chicago 3, Kansas City 0: Billy Wynne walked the first three men of the game and still survived to throw a seven-hit, five-walk shutout. The Royals had at least two baserunners in each of the first four innings and couldn't push a run across. Bobby Knoop had a two-run double in the sixth inning.

Player of the Day: Billy Wynne, Chicago

Games of Thursday, Aug. 14

Seattle               64     47       .577     ---
Chicago             62     46      .574      0.5
Kansas City       58     52      .527      5.5
California          56     57      .496      9
Montreal           53     60       .469   12
Cleveland          52     59      .468    12
Philadelphia      52     59       .468   12
San Diego         48     63       .432   16


Friday's games
Seattle (Gelnar) at Philadelphia (Fryman)
Chicago (Wynne) at Kansas City (Bunker)

Montreal 5, Cleveland 4: The Expos scored three unearned runs in the seventh inning to tie the game, then got a walk-off single from Ron Brand in the ninth. The Indians scored three runs in the first, highlighted by a two-run homer by Ken Harrelson, and made it 4-0 after two. Steve Hargan shut out the Expos for five innings before Coco Laboy's homer led off the sixth. Don Shaw picked up the win and Dick Ellsworth took the loss in relief.

Seattle 5, Philadelphia 4: The Pilots got two-run homers from Tommy Davis and Greg Goossen to overtake the Phillies. Dick Allen hit a three-run homer in the first off Gene Brabender, but Brabender then held the Phillies scoreless through the sixth, and the Pilots got two in the fourth off Grant Jackson and three more in the sixth. Jim Bouton, Mike Marshall and John O'Donoghue combined for three innings of three-hit, one-run relief.

Chicago 14, Kansas City 2: Bill Melton hit a three-run homer in the first inning and drove in two more in the ninth with a double as the White Sox batted around twice in routing the Royals. Melton went 4-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored. Walt Williams scored four runs, Luis Aparicio scored three and Pete Ward a pair. Gary Peters went seven innings for the win, and Roger Nelson took the loss.

California 7, San Diego 4: Billy Cowan's pinch-hit grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth gave a Angels a dramatic comeback win. Clay Kirby had held the Angels to one run in eight innings, but he was relieved with two outs in the ninth after Rich Reichardt's second RBI triple of the game. Bill McCool gave up a double and two walks and gave way to Frank Reberger, who inherited a one-run lead. Cowan immediately homered. Hoyt Wilhelm got the win with a scoreless inning of relief. McCool takes the loss.

Player of the Day: Billy Cowan, California

Games of Wednesday, Aug. 13

Seattle               63     47       .572     ---
Chicago             61     46      .570      0.5
Kansas City       58     51      .532      4.5
California          55     57      .491      9
Philadelphia      52     58       .472   11
Cleveland          52     58      .472    11
Montreal           52     60       .464   12
San Diego         48     62       .436   15


Thursday's games
Cleveland (Hargan) at Montreal (Waslewski)
Seattle (Brabender) at Philadelphia (Jackson)
Chicago (Peters) at Kansas City (Nelson)
San Diego (Kirby) at California (Murphy)

Cleveland 8, Montreal 5 (12 innings): Ray Fosse's pinch-hit grand slam off Larry Jaster lifted the Tribe to the win. Dick Ellsworth got the win with two innings of cliff hanging relief; he twice had the winning run on third base, once with one out, the other with no outs, and escaped without allowing the run. Hawk Harrelson homered and scored twice for Cleveland. Carroll Sembera of the Expos was demoted after the game and replaced on the roster by Dick Radatz; Sembera is eligible to return Aug. 24.

Chicago 7, Kansas City 4: The Royals were charged with five errors and failed to make numerous other plays. Gail Hopkins and Pete Ward hit consecutive homers in the first inning off Dick Drago. Mike Hedlund took the loss in relief; Gary Bell got the win with a save from Wilbur Wood. For the White Sox, Tommy McCraw (5 days) and Ken Berry (2 days) were both injured; McCraw will be deactivated and Angel Bravo added to the roster. McCraw is eligible to return Aug. 24.

Chicago 6, Kansas City 4 (10 innings): Luis Aparicio and Walt Williams each had two-out RBI singles in the 10th inning to lift the White Sox to the win. Three of Chicago's runs were unearned. Jack Hamilton got the win with two scoreless innings of relief, and Wilbur Wood threw a perfect ninth for the save. Williams went 3-for-6 with two doubles, a run and an RBI for the Sox.

Seattle 2, Philadelphia 1: Marty Pattin took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Gus Gil hit a pair of sacrifice flies for Seattle. Dick Allen led off the eighth with a homer for the Phillies only hit of the game. Pattin walked one and struck out five in eight innings. Bob Locker pitched the ninth for the save.

Seattle 12, Philadelphia 2: George Brunet allowed two runs on five hits in eight innings, and the Pilots drew 11 walks. Tommy Harper scored three runs and stole a pair of bases; he was 3-for-5 with a walk. Steve Hovley singled twice, walked twice, stole a base, scored twice and drove in a pair. Jerry McNertney had a three-run double. Dick Allen homered for Philadelphia. Jerry Johnson took the loss. Deron Johnson (Phillies) was injured (10 days); he is deactivated and eligible to return Aug. 24. Cookie Rojas, recovered from his injury, returns from the inactive list early.

California 11, San Diego 1: The Angels peppered three Padres pitchers for 17 hits. Jay Johnstone went 4-for-5 with five RBIs, three runs, a homer and a double. Rudy May went the distance, allowing an unearned run on five hits.  Aurelio Rodriguez (three days) and Tom Egan (two days) were injured for the Angels; both will remain on the roster.

California 4, San Diego 3: The Angels scored two runs off Frank Reberger in the bottom of the ninth to get the doubleheader sweep. Reberger wild-pitched the tying run home after a leadoff triple by Jay Johnstone, then allowed a single, two walks and another single (by Joe Azcue) to end it. Johnstone went 3-for-5 for the game and threw a runner out at the plate. Bob Priddy got the win in relief. The Padres lost both Cito Caston and Nate Colbert for one day to injury; they will remain on the roster.

Player of the day: Jay Johnstone, California

Game of Tuesday, Aug 12

Seattle               61     47       .564     ---
Chicago             59     46      .561      0.5
Kansas City       58     49      .542      2.5
California          53     57      .481      9
Philadelphia      52     57       .477     9.5
Montreal           52     59       .468   10.5
Cleveland          51     58      .468    10.5
San Diego         48     60       .444    13


Wednesday's games
Cleveland (McDowell) at Montreal (Wegener)
Seattle (Pattin and Brunet) at Philadelphia (Wise and Johnson), 2
Chicago (John and Horlen) at Kansas City (Drago and Butler), 2
San Diego (Santorini and Sisk) at California (May and McGlothlin), 2

Cleveland 8, Montreal 7 (15 innings): Lou Klimchock drove in the go-ahead run to end a back-and forth marathon. Larry Burchart threw 5.2 innings of one-hit shutout relief to earn the win, and Horacio Pina threw a perfect frame in the bottom of the 15th for the save; Claude Raymond, who allowed one run in four innings, took the loss. The Expos raked up six runs in the first five innings against Luis Tiant, but Jerry Robertson was stung for four runs in the fifth, including a two-run triple by Tony Horton. Horton hit a two-run homer in the ninth to put the Tribe ahead, but Mike Paul allowed doubles to Bob Bailey and Coco Laboy to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Laboy also homered and drove in three runs. After the game the Expos demoted Raymond and activated Carroll Sembera; Raymond is eligible to return Aug. 23.

Player of the Day: Larry Burchart, Cleveland