The 1982 National League Championship Series was played between the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

from October 6 to 10. It was the 14th NLCS. The Cardinals swept the series in 3 games, and went on to win the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

over the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games.

Background

Despite their history as the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

's most successful franchise – the second-most

titles in baseball behind the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

— this was the Cardinals first postseason appearance since the league went to divisional play. Their last postseason trip had been to the 1968 World Series when they lost to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

— the last year before divisional play. The

were making their first postseason appearance since 1969, the first year of divisional play. The Cardinals were led by

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

first baseman and solid hitter

Keith Hernandez Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. Hernandez was a five-time All-Star who shared the 1979 NL MVP ...

, while the Braves were led by

Dale Murphy Dale Bryan Murphy (born March 12, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player. During an 18-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) (–), he played as an outfielder, catcher, and first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphi ...

, who was later named the season's

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. The Cardinals had been the first team to clinch a playoff berth on September 27 while the Braves were the last to make the playoffs, clinching the West on October 3 when the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

beat the

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. On a side note, Atlanta's manager

Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball since 2020. He previously served in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseb ...

and two of his coaches

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...

and

Dal Maxvill Charles Dallan Maxvill (born February 18, 1939) is a retired shortstop, coach and general manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). During his career, Maxvill played, coached, or was an executive for four World Series winners and seven league cham ...

were known for playing for the opposing St. Louis Cardinal team while Cardinal coach

Red Schoendienst Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst (; February 2, 1923 – June 6, 2018) was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB), and is largely known for his coaching, managing, and playing years wi ...

previously played for the Braves and Cardinal coach

Hub Kittle Hubert Milton Kittle (February 19, 1917 – February 10, 2004) was an American professional baseball pitcher, manager and front office executive in the minor leagues and a pitching coach at the Major League level. When he took the mound for the ...

previously managed in the Braves organization.

Summary

Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Game summaries

Game 1: Take 1

Wednesday, October 6, 1982, at Busch Stadium (II) in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

Game 1 was a wash—literally. The Braves led 1–0 behind

Phil Niekro Philip Henry Niekro ( ; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves. Niekro's 318 career victor ...

and were two outs from an official game when the umpire stopped it. When the rain did not subside, the game was postponed. Game 1 began from the start the following night in a match-up of the volatile Braves starter Pascual Pérez and longtime Cardinal starter

Bob Forsch Robert Herbert Forsch (January 13, 1950 – November 3, 2011) was an American professional baseball player who spent most of his sixteen years in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the St. Louis Cardinals (1974–1988) before finishing his pl ...

Game 1: Take 2

Thursday, October 7, 1982, at Busch Stadium (II) in

The new Game 1 was scoreless through two innings. In the bottom of the third,

Willie McGee Willie Dean McGee (born November 2, 1958) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is an assistant coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for four teams, over 18 seasons. H ...

tripled and scored on

Ozzie Smith Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...

's sacrifice fly to center. It stayed 1–0 until the sixth when the floodgates opened and the Cardinals scored five runs to finish off Perez and the Braves for the evening. Three straight singles by Lonnie Smith,

, and

George Hendrick George Andrew Hendrick Jr. (born October 18, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between and , most prominently as an integral member of the St. Louis Cardinals ...

chased Perez and made it 2–0 with two on and nobody out. Brought in to put out the fire,

Steve Bedrosian Stephen Wayne Bedrosian (born December 6, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Bedrock", he played from 1981 to 1995 with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Minnesota Twins. Bedrosi ...

walked

Darrell Porter Darrell Ray Porter (January 17, 1952 – August 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1971 to 1987 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Range ...

to load the bases and gave up a single to McGee that scored Hernandez. Ozzie Smith's single scored Hendrick and Porter scored on a sacrifice fly by Forsch. A wild pitch advanced the runners, and a

Ken Oberkfell Kenneth Ray Oberkfell (born May 4, 1956) is an American former third baseman. He played from 1977 to 1992 for six different teams. Oberkfell primarily played third base but he also played over 400 career games at second base. After retiring as a p ...

single made it 6–0 Cardinals.

Donnie Moore Donnie Ray Moore (February 13, 1954 – July 18, 1989) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Chicago Cubs (1975, 1977–79), St. Louis Cardinals (1980), Milwaukee Brewers (1981), Atlanta Braves (1982–8 ...

replaced Bedrosian and ended the inning, but the game was as good as over. The Cardinals added a cosmetic run in the eighth scored by Forsch on a sacrifice fly. The 7–0 win gave the Cardinals a 1–0 lead in the best-of-five series. Forsch went the distance and only yielded three hits while Perez got the loss.

Game 2

Saturday, October 9, 1982, at Busch Stadium (II) in

After another rainout the night before, an exciting contest unfolded at Busch Stadium in Game 2 with the Braves sending

against

John Stuper John Anton Stuper (born May 9, 1957) is a former baseball coach and former pitcher. He attended Point Park University before playing professionally from 1982–1985 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. He then served as the head ...

. The Cardinals took a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the second when

scored on a wild pitch. The Braves answered in the top of the third when

Bruce Benedict Bruce Edwin Benedict (born August 18, 1955) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Atlanta Braves from to . Major League career Benedict attended ...

walked, went to second on a Niekro bunt, and scored the Braves' first run of the series that counted when Rafael Ramirez hit a single that he followed by scoring on a three-base error to put the Braves in front for the first time, 2–1. Niekro helped himself in the fifth when

Glenn Hubbard Glenn Hubbard may refer to: *Glenn Hubbard (baseball) (born 1957), American baseball player *Glenn Hubbard (economist) Robert Glenn Hubbard (born September 4, 1958) is an American economist and academic. He served as the Dean of the Columbia Univ ...

singled, Benedict doubled, and Niekro's sacrifice fly gave the Braves a two-run lead. In the bottom of that same inning,

singled and scored on

's double to make it 3–2 Atlanta. In the eighth, Porter walked, went to third on a

single, and scored to tie it when

hit into a fielder's choice that forced Hendrick at second. With the score tied, the Cardinals won in the bottom of the ninth when

David Green David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

singled, went to second on a bunt by Tommy Herr, and scored on a single by Oberkfell. The last at-bat win gave the Cardinals a 2–0 lead heading to Atlanta. Bruce Sutter got the win and Braves ace reliever

Gene Garber Henry Eugene Garber (born November 13, 1947) is an American former professional baseball sidearm relief pitcher who played for four Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations from to . Playing career Garber was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirate ...

got the loss.

Game 3

Sunday, October 10, 1982, at

Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, often referred to as Fulton County Stadium and originally named Atlanta Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in the southeastern United States, located in Atlanta. The stadium was home of the Atlanta Braves of th ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

In a must-win game, the Braves sent

Rick Camp Rick Lamar Camp (June 10, 1953 – April 25, 2013), was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for a total of nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves between 1976 and 1985. Biography Camp was born in Trio ...

to the hill and the Cardinals countered with the sometimes volatile and often entertaining

Joaquín Andújar Joaquín Andújar (; December 21, 1952 – September 8, 2015) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and Oakland Athletics from 1976 through 1988. ...

. There were no runs in the first, but in the second, the Cardinals clinched the series. Hernandez singled, Porter walked, Hendrick singled to score Hernandez, and

hit his second triple of the series to score two more runs. When

singled to make it 4–0, Camp was history and for all intents and purposes, so were the Braves. In the fifth, Tommy Herr doubled and scored on a Hernandez single to make it 5–0. Facing elimination, the Braves fought back valiantly.

Claudell Washington Claudell Washington (August 31, 1954June 10, 2020) was an American baseball outfielder who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Atlanta B ...

and

Bob Horner James Robert Horner (born August 6, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a third baseman and a first baseman from to , most prominently as a ...

both singled. Faced with the prospect of a big inning, manager

pulled Washington and replaced him with the faster

Terry Harper Terrance Victor Harper (born January 27, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Harper played in the National Hockey League from 1962 to 1981. During this time, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Detroi ...

. But the next hitter,

Chris Chambliss Carroll Christopher Chambliss (born December 26, 1948) is an American professional baseball player and coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. He served ...

hit into a double play that scored Harper and made it 5–1, but took the Braves out of the inning since the next hitter was their star,

. Had Chambliss hit safely, a Murphy homer would have made it 5–4. Instead, Murphy singled with two outs, went to second on a wild pitch by Andujar, and scored on

's single. The scoring continued in the ninth when McGee drilled a home run off reliever

to end the scoring at 6–2. Bruce Sutter got the save and Camp the loss. The win thrust the Cardinals into the

1982 World Series The 1982 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1982 Major League Baseball season, 1982 season. The 79th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National Leag ...

against another beer town team, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Composite box

1982 NLCS (3–0):

over

Aftermath

1983 represented more promise and heartbreak for Atlanta. The Braves were 71–46 on Saturday, August 13, after beating the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

8–7 on a

Bob Watson Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, coach and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from 1966 to 1984, most prominently as a member of ...

come-from-behind home run in the bottom of the ninth. The Braves were games ahead of the Dodgers at this point and things were looking good for them. However, during next series with the Padres, the Braves would lose their cleanup hitter

to a season-ending wrist injury. Horner was batting .303 with 20 homers at that point and his loss would prove to be a disaster for the Braves. After Horner's injury the Braves spiraled the rest of the way in August and early September and were soon overtaken by the Dodgers. With a chance to get within a one game of the now first-place Dodgers, Atlanta led Los Angeles 6–3 going into the bottom of the ninth during an afternoon game on at

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ( ...

on Sunday September 11th. However, in what turned out to be one of the games of the season, Los Angeles rallied to win 7–6, thanks to an R.J. Reynolds' walk-off suicide squeeze and thus extending their division lead to three games. This effectively won the Dodgers the

NL West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a re ...

, as the Braves were not able to make up the three games in the standings the rest of the way. Atlanta did not seriously compete again for the

until

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

. The collapse of the Braves '83 season was not the fault of

, who hit .327 hit September and to go along with 10 home runs. He was rewarded with his 2nd straight National League MVP award, solidifying himself as one of the best hitters in the early 1980s. From 1991-2005, they made the postseason every year. In comparison, in the Braves first 24 years in Atlanta (1966-1990), they made the postseason just twice ( 1969 and 1982).

would later manage the Cardinals from 1990-1995, before leading the Yankees to four World Series championships from 1996-2007. For his success with the Yankees, Torre was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. The Braves would avenge their 1982 National League Championship Series loss 14 years later during the 1996 National League Championship Series when Atlanta became just the sixth team in MLB history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit in the postseason. The two teams met again three other times during the postseason, during the 2000 National League Division Series,

2012 National League Wild Card Game The 2012 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. It was held at Turn ...

, and 2019 National League Division Series, with the Cardinals winning all three match-ups.

References

External links

1982 NLCS at Baseball Reference
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National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Nation ...

National League Championship Series St. Louis Cardinals postseason Atlanta Braves postseason

1980s in Atlanta 1980s in St. Louis