After yielding two runs on a homer by Joe Pepitone in the first inning, Phil Niekro bore down the rest of the way and pitched the Braves to a 4-2 victory over the Cubs. Darrell Evans started the Braves' scoring with a homer in the second and the tying run followed in the fourth on two walks and a pair of infield outs.

Sonny Jackson singled in the fifth, took third on a single by Mike Lum and scored the go-ahead run while the Cubs were executing a double play on a grounder by Hank Aaron. Earl Williams clinched Niekro's third straight victory over the Cubs this season by smashing a homer in the sixth. [The Sporting News]



Atlanta Braves 4, Chicago Cubs 2
Game Played on Saturday, July      15, 1972 (Day game) at Wrigley Field
Braves       0  1  0    1  1  1    0  0  0  -   4  9  0
Cubs         2  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   2  9  0


Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cubs                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Jackson cf            5   1   2   0     0   1   .214      Monday cf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .272
Lum rf                5   0   2   0     0   1   .251      Kessinger ss          4   1   1   0     0   0   .263
Aaron 1b              4   0   2   0     1   0   .257      Williams lf           4   0   2   0     0   0   .337
Carty lf              1   0   0   0     0   0   .302      Pepitone 1b           4   1   2   2     0   0   .253
  Brown lf            4   0   0   0     0   0   .228      Cardenal rf           4   0   1   0     0   0   .273
Williams c            4   2   1   1     1   0   .252      Beckert 2b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .273
Evans 3b              2   1   2   1     2   0   .248      Santo 3b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .297
Perez ss              3   0   0   0     0   0   .214      Rudolph c             2   0   0   0     0   0   .208
Garrido 2b            3   0   0   1     1   1   .255        Hickman ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .291
Niekro p              3   0   0   0     0   2   .204        Hundley c           0   0   0   0     0   0   .218
                                                            Fanzone ph          1   0   0   0     0   1   .236
                                                          Hands p               2   0   0   0     0   1   .000
                                                            Phoebus p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .077
                                                            Davis ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .333
                                                            McGinn p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .333

Totals               34   4   9   3     5   5             Totals               35   2   9   2     0   2

Time of Game: 2:46   Attendance: 26,255
Left on Base: Braves 10, Cubs 6
DP: Braves 1, Cubs 1
Doubles: Beckert (15), Santo (11)
Home Runs: Evans (12), Williams (12), Pepitone (4)
Sacrifice Hits: Perez (3)
GIDP: Aaron (12), Cardenal (11)
Hit by Pitch: Niekro (2,by McGinn)


Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(9-7)           9     9   2   2   0   2   1  35   3.18
Totals                  9     9   2   2   0   2   1  35

Cubs                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hands L(7-7)            5     8   4   4   2   2   2  24   3.61
Phoebus                 2     0   0   0   2   1   0   8   3.69
McGinn                  2     1   0   0   1   2   0   9   4.01
Totals                  9     9   4   4   5   5   2  41

Hit by Pitch: McGinn (3)
Balks: Niekro (3)

Umpires: HP - Ed Vargo, 1B - Harry Wendelstedt, 2B - Jerry Dale, 3B - Paul Pryor


BRAVES 1ST: Jackson singled to right; Lum flied out to center;
Aaron singled to left [Jackson to second]; Carty grounded out
(pitcher to first) [Jackson to third, Aaron to second]; Williams
grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 0,
Cubs 0.

CUBS 1ST: Monday popped to third in foul territory; Kessinger
singled to center; Niekro balked [Kessinger to second]; Williams
flied out to left; BROWN REPLACED CARTY (PLAYING LF); Pepitone
homered [Kessinger scored]; Rico Carty left with injured
leg; Cardenal singled to left; Beckert grounded out (second
to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 0, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 2ND: Evans homered; Perez flied out to left; Garrido
struck out; Niekro struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 1,
Cubs 2.

CUBS 2ND: Santo popped to catcher in foul territory; Rudolph
grounded out (shortstop to first); Hands flied out to left; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 1, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 3RD: Jackson grounded out (second to first); Lum singled
to second; Aaron forced Lum (third to second); Brown popped to
third; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 1, Cubs 2.

CUBS 3RD: Monday popped to third in foul territory; Kessinger
grounded out (pitcher to first); Williams singled to shortstop;
Pepitone flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 1,
Cubs 2.

BRAVES 4TH: Williams walked; Evans walked [Williams to second];
Perez forced Evans (second to shortstop) [Williams to third];
Garrido grounded out (first unassisted) [Williams scored, Perez
to second]; Niekro grounded out (catcher to first); 1 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Braves 2, Cubs 2.

CUBS 4TH: Cardenal popped to first; Beckert flied out to left;
Santo flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 2, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 5TH: Jackson singled to center; Lum singled to center
[Jackson to third]; Aaron grounded into a double play (third to
second to first) [Jackson scored (no RBI), Lum out at second];
Brown popped to second; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 3, Cubs 2.

CUBS 5TH: Rudolph grounded out (shortstop to first); Hands
struck out; Monday grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 3, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 6TH: Williams homered; Evans singled to center; PHOEBUS
REPLACED HANDS (PITCHING); Perez grounded out (shortstop to
first) [Evans to second]; Garrido walked; Niekro struck out;
Jackson grounded out (first to pitcher); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Braves 4, Cubs 2.

CUBS 6TH: Kessinger flied out to left; Williams singled to left;
Pepitone singled to right [Williams to second]; Cardenal
grounded into a double play (third to second to first) [Pepitone
out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 4, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 7TH: Lum flied out to center; Aaron walked; Brown forced
Aaron (third to second); Williams flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Braves 4, Cubs 2.

CUBS 7TH: Beckert doubled to left; Santo grounded out (third to
first); HICKMAN BATTED FOR RUDOLPH; Hickman grounded out
(shortstop to first); DAVIS BATTED FOR PHOEBUS; Davis flied out
to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 4, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 8TH: MCGINN REPLACED DAVIS (PITCHING); HUNDLEY REPLACED
HICKMAN (PLAYING C ); Evans walked; Perez out on a sacrifice
bunt (first to second) [Evans to second]; Garrido grounded out
(shortstop to first) [Evans to third]; Niekro was hit by a
pitch; Jackson was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Braves 4, Cubs 2.

CUBS 8TH: Monday singled to right; Kessinger grounded out (first
unassisted) [Monday to second]; Williams flied out to right;
Pepitone grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Braves 4, Cubs 2.

BRAVES 9TH: Lum was called out on strikes; Aaron singled to
center; Brown forced Aaron (third to second); Williams forced
Brown (shortstop to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 4,
Cubs 2.

CUBS 9TH: Cardenal flied out to left; Beckert flied out to
right; Santo doubled to third; FANZONE BATTED FOR HUNDLEY;
Fanzone struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 4, Cubs 2.