NLCS Game # 5 - ' 82 Brewers vs ' 88 Mets

Cooper's Blast Sends Series Back to Milwaukee

Cecil Cooper hit his third homer of the National League Championship Series in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and lead Milwaukee to a 5-4 win over New York. The NLCS now shifts back to Miller Park with the Brewers trailing 3-2 in games. Cooper has driven in 8 runs in the series and is currently hitting a blazing .385 making his case for series MVP.

The Brewers bolted out of the gate with a 4 run first inning, battering Mets' starter David Cone. Paul Molitor led off with a single and Robin Yount followed up with a walk on 4 pitches. Milwaukee went up 1-0 thanks to an RBI single from Cooper. Ted Simmons then drilled a mammoth three run blast to put the Brewers up 4-0.

New York responded with a single run in the bottom of the first as Kevin McReynolds hit a two out single that glanced off Brewers' starter Mike Caldwell allowing Mookie Wilson to score. Wilson had singled to start things off for the Mets, went to second on a wild pitch, and moved to third on a Darryl Strawberry single.

In the fourth, it was Caldwell's turn to be ravaged as New York scored 3 runs to tie the game. Ironically, it would be David Cone who would do most of the damage with a 2 run double. Caldwell surrendered a double to Howard Johnson and then walked Kevin Elster, who is hitting .095 in the series. Wally Backman brought in Cone with a clutch two out single to reset the game.

Both starters went 6 innings apiece and Cone really settle in after a that rough first inning as he struck out 9 batters giving up only 5 hits. Caldwell had a rougher time of it has he danced around 9 hits and 2 walks.

Mets' reliever Jeff Innis, who owned a 1.89 ERA in 12 games in 1988, pitched a scoreless seventh before serving up the lead off solo shot to Cooper in the eight to take the loss. Jim Slaton picked up the win for Milwaukee backed by the efforts of Jerry Augustine and Rollie Fingers who nabbed his third save of the playoffs and redeemed himself after his losing effort in Game 4.

*ICYMI > NLCS Game 4 -  http://buzzingthetowersawx.blogspot.ca/2014/11/nlcs-game-4-82-brewers-vs-88-mets.html