1984 Atlanta Braves season
Encyclopedia
The 1984 season
was the 114th season for the Atlanta Braves
.
Atlanta stumbled out of the gate with a 2-7 mark on April 13, and were six games out of first place. The Braves had a 6-11 record on April 25 but won three in a row and later won eight of nine to go above the .500 mark for the first time in 1984. They were 18-15 on May 13, tied for third and two games out of first.
On May 24 Atlanta lost a double-header to the Cubs 10-7, 7-5 to drop to the .500 mark at 21-21. Atlanta rebounded to win 13 of its next 15 games to surge into first place with a 34-23 mark on June 7.
The Braves were 32-16 since April 14 and were in first place by 1 ½ games. The season was beginning to look good for Atlanta.
Unfortunately for the Braves this would prove to be the high water mark for the season. Atlanta lost five in a row from June 8 to June 12 to fall into second place, 3 ½ games out of first. They were never to be in first place again in 1984.
On June 20 the Braves were 39-29 and in second place, 1 ½ games out of first. By the end of June they were 43-35 and three games out of first. July would prove to be tougher for the Braves however. Atlanta went 5-12 to begin the month of July. On July 19 the Braves owned a 48-47 record and were seven games out of first and still in second place. It was growing more obvious that this wouldn't be the magical season fans had wished it would be. Atlanta was 8 ½ games out of first on the last day of July.
On August 3 the Braves were six games over the .500 mark with a 57-51 record following a 2-1 win over the Giants. The league leading San Diego Padres lost that day and the Braves closed within 7 ½ games of the lead. The Braves were still hopeful of a late season surge but it appeared that might not happen.
After August 3 things turned rotten on the Braves. From August 4 to September 9 the Braves posted a 12-23 record that reduced them to 69-74 with an eleven game deficit with 19 games to play. The Braves had also slipped to third place. The “pennant race” was over.
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1984 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey...
was the 114th season for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
.
Offseason
- October 4, 1983: Tommy BoggsTommy BoggsThomas Winton Boggs is a former professional baseball pitcher. Boggs pitched in all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball between 1976 and 1985....
was released by the Braves. - October 21, 1983: Brett Butler and Brook JacobyBrook JacobyBrook Wallace Jacoby is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and the current hitting coach of the Cincinnati Reds. Jacoby played in the major leagues from 1981 through 1992, and in Japan in 1993. He batted and threw right-handed. His father Brook Wallace Jacoby Sr...
were sent by the Braves to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
to complete an earlier deal (the Braves traded players to be named later and $150,000 to the Indians for Len BarkerLen BarkerLeonard Harold Barker III , better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers...
) made on August 28, 1983.
Regular season
The 1984 Braves third season with Joe Torre at the helm was a disappointing one. Despite a winning record throughout most of the season they finished the campaign with an 80-82 mark, tied for second with the LA Dodgers, 12 games behind the San Diego Padres.Atlanta stumbled out of the gate with a 2-7 mark on April 13, and were six games out of first place. The Braves had a 6-11 record on April 25 but won three in a row and later won eight of nine to go above the .500 mark for the first time in 1984. They were 18-15 on May 13, tied for third and two games out of first.
On May 24 Atlanta lost a double-header to the Cubs 10-7, 7-5 to drop to the .500 mark at 21-21. Atlanta rebounded to win 13 of its next 15 games to surge into first place with a 34-23 mark on June 7.
The Braves were 32-16 since April 14 and were in first place by 1 ½ games. The season was beginning to look good for Atlanta.
Unfortunately for the Braves this would prove to be the high water mark for the season. Atlanta lost five in a row from June 8 to June 12 to fall into second place, 3 ½ games out of first. They were never to be in first place again in 1984.
On June 20 the Braves were 39-29 and in second place, 1 ½ games out of first. By the end of June they were 43-35 and three games out of first. July would prove to be tougher for the Braves however. Atlanta went 5-12 to begin the month of July. On July 19 the Braves owned a 48-47 record and were seven games out of first and still in second place. It was growing more obvious that this wouldn't be the magical season fans had wished it would be. Atlanta was 8 ½ games out of first on the last day of July.
On August 3 the Braves were six games over the .500 mark with a 57-51 record following a 2-1 win over the Giants. The league leading San Diego Padres lost that day and the Braves closed within 7 ½ games of the lead. The Braves were still hopeful of a late season surge but it appeared that might not happen.
After August 3 things turned rotten on the Braves. From August 4 to September 9 the Braves posted a 12-23 record that reduced them to 69-74 with an eleven game deficit with 19 games to play. The Braves had also slipped to third place. The “pennant race” was over.
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- June 16, 1983: The Braves were playing the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in Atlanta. Mario SotoMario Soto (baseball)Mario Melvin Soto , is a former Major League pitcher, mostly as a starter, for the Cincinnati Reds from through . He currently works in the Reds' front office.-Major league career:...
threw several brushback pitchBrushback pitchIn baseball, a brushback pitch is a pitch thrown high and inside, usually a fastball, to force the batter away from the plate, often to intimidate. It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, or intentionally throw at the batter's head...
es at Braves slugger Claudell WashingtonClaudell WashingtonClaudell Washington is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Oakland Athletics , Texas Rangers , Chicago White Sox , New York Mets , Atlanta Braves , New York Yankees and California Angels...
. Washington tossed his bat in the direction of Soto, appeared to go out to retrieve it, but instead walked toward the mound. Umpire Lanny Harris attempted to restrain Washington. Harris was thrown to the ground. Soto used the distraction to punch Washington. Several of Washington's teammates attempted to hold Washington to the ground. While they were doing that, Soto fired the baseball into the crowd of players, striking Braves coach Joe PignatanoJoe PignatanoJoseph Benjamin Pignatano was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played from 1957-1962.He played in the 1959 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and ended his playing career with the New York Mets, hitting into a triple play in his final Major League at bat.After his playing career...
. He was suspended three games for this incident; Washington received a five-game suspension for shoving Lanny Harris.
Notable transactions
- April 24, 1984: Biff PocorobaBiff PocorobaBiff Benedict Pocoroba is a former Major League Baseball catcher, who also played a few games at third base. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 17th round of the 1971 amateur draft....
was released by the Braves. - June 4, 1984: Tom GlavineTom GlavineThomas Michael Glavine is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.With 164 victories during the 1990s, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176...
was drafted by the Braves in the 2nd round of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft1984 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*Future Canadian Football League quarterback Damon Allen, was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round, 182nd overall....
. - June 15, 1984: Ken DayleyKen DayleyKenneth Grant Dayley is a former professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Dayley played all or part of eleven seasons in Major League Baseball between 1982 and 1993.- Braves :...
and Mike JorgensenMike JorgensenMichael Jorgensen is a former Major League Baseball player drafted by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft...
were traded by the Braves to the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for Ken OberkfellKen OberkfellKenneth Raymond Oberkfell is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman and ex-coach for the New York Mets. He played from 1977-1992 for six different teams. Oberkfell primarily played third base but was also known to play second base and both corner outfield positions...
.
Roster
| 1984 Atlanta Braves | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 91 | 294 | 82 | .279 | 5 | 30 | |
| RF | 120 | 416 | 119 | .286 | 17 | 61 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 172 | 40 | .233 | 1 | 10 | |
| 28 | 90 | 24 | .267 | 0 | 3 | |
| 31 | 26 | 7 | .269 | 0 | 5 | |
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 211.2 | 14 | 8 | 3.74 | 145 | |
| 31 | 148.2 | 8 | 6 | 3.27 | 89 | |
| 21 | 126.1 | 7 | 8 | 3.85 | 95 | |
| 4 | 18.2 | 0 | 3 | 5.30 | 10 | |
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 5.28 | 17 | |
| 3 | 5.2 | 0 | 1 | 6.35 | 3 |
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 2.37 | 81 | |