Relieving in both games, Kent Tekulve gained his 27th and 28th saves as the Pirates defeated the Braves in a twi-night doubleheader, 8-3 and 3-0. In the opener, Willie Stargell hit a two-run homer, Ed Ott drove in a pair with a double and Dave Parker accounted for two RBIs with a sacrifice fly and double. Tekulve pitched the last 2 1/3 innings, following Don Robinson and Grant Jackson, after Dale Murphy hit a three-run pinch-homer for the Braves.

In the nightcap, the Pirates scored all their runs in the sixth inning on doubles by Bill Robinson and Manny Sanguillen and a homer by Dale Berra. Bruce Kison, who started for the Pirates, was lifted in favor of Tekulve with two men on base and two out in the eighth. [The Sporting News]



Pittsburgh Pirates 8, Atlanta Braves 3 (Game 1)
Game Played on Friday, September 1, 1978 (Night game) at Three Rivers Stadium
Braves       0  0  0    0  0  0    3  0  0  -   3  7  1
Pirates      0  0  2    0  3  0    3  0  x  -   8 11  1


Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Pirates              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Royster ss            4   0   0   0     0   0   .270      Taveras ss            4   2   2   0     0   1   .277
Hubbard 2b            4   1   2   0     0   0   .306        Mendoza ss          1   0   0   0     0   0   .216
Beall 1b,lf           4   0   0   0     0   2   .257      Moreno cf             5   2   1   0     0   1   .230
Horner 3b             4   0   0   0     0   1   .253      Parker rf             4   1   2   2     0   0   .315
Nolan c               2   0   0   0     0   0   .247      Stargell 1b           4   2   3   2     0   0   .292
  Burroughs ph        0   0   0   0     1   0   .314      Ott c                 4   1   1   2     0   2   .267
  Benedict pr,c       1   1   0   0     0   0   .214      B. Robinson 3b,lf     4   0   1   1     0   0   .240
Office cf             2   0   0   0     0   0   .249      Milner lf             1   0   1   0     2   0   .284
  Murphy ph,1b        2   1   2   3     0   0   .239        Berra pr,3b         1   0   0   0     0   0   .158
Gaston lf,rf          4   0   1   0     0   2   .219      Garner 2b             3   0   0   0     1   0   .264
Bonnell rf,cf         4   0   2   0     0   0   .224      D. Robinson p         3   0   0   0     0   1   .206
Niekro p              2   0   0   0     0   0   .206        Jackson p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .250
  Chaney ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .216        Tekulve p           1   0   0   0     0   1   .105
  Skok p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .286
  Gilbreath ph        1   0   0   0     0   1   .246

Totals               35   3   7   3     1   6             Totals               35   8  11   7     3   6

Time of Game: 2:30
Left on Base: Braves 6, Pirates 7
DP: Braves 0, Pirates 0
Errors: Murphy, Mendoza
Doubles: Hubbard (2), Stargell 2 (15), Ott (12), Milner (17), Parker (24), B. Robinson (28)
Triples: Taveras (7)
Home Runs: Murphy (20), Stargell (21)
Stolen Bases: Bonnell (11), Moreno (57)
Sacrifice Flies: Parker (1)


Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro L(16-15)         6     8   5   4   2   5   1  28   3.11
Skok                    2     3   3   2   1   1   0  11   4.13
Totals                  8    11   8   6   3   6   1  39

Pirates                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
D. Robinson W(11-5)     6     2   1   1   0   2   0  20   3.32
Jackson                 0.2   1   2   2   1   2   1   4   2.82
Tekulve SV(27)          2.1   4   0   0   0   2   0  12   1.82
Totals                  9     7   3   3   1   6   1  36

Passed Balls: Nolan (6)
Wild Pitches: Niekro 2 (8)

Umpires: HP - Paul Runge, 1B - Bob Engel, 2B - Jerry Dale, 3B - John McSherry


BRAVES 1ST: Royster flied out to center; Hubbard flied out to
left; Beall flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 0,
Pirates 0.

PIRATES 1ST: Taveras struck out (catcher to first); Moreno
grounded out (second to first); Parker singled to right;
Stargell doubled to right [Parker to third]; Ott struck out; 0
R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 0, Pirates 0.

BRAVES 2ND: Horner grounded out (shortstop to first); Nolan
popped to third in foul territory; Office grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 0, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 2ND: B. Robinson grounded out (shortstop to first);
Milner walked; Garner forced Milner (shortstop to second);
Niekro threw a wild pitch [Garner to second]; D. Robinson flied
out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 0, Pirates 0.

BRAVES 3RD: Gaston struck out; Bonnell singled to right; Bonnell
stole second; Niekro flied out to left; Royster flied out to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 0, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 3RD: Taveras tripled to right; Moreno struck out; Parker
hit a sacrifice fly to left [Taveras scored]; Stargell homered;
Ott struck out; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 0, Pirates 2.

BRAVES 4TH: Hubbard grounded out (shortstop to first); Beall
struck out; Horner popped to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Braves 0, Pirates 2.

PIRATES 4TH: B. Robinson lined to shortstop; Milner walked;
Garner forced Milner (third to second); D. Robinson popped to
shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 0, Pirates 2.

BRAVES 5TH: Nolan popped to pitcher; Office popped to first in
foul territory; Gaston flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Braves 0, Pirates 2.

PIRATES 5TH: Taveras singled to center; Moreno singled to center
[Taveras to second]; Parker popped to third in foul territory;
Stargell grounded out (first unassisted) [Taveras to third,
Moreno to second]; Ott doubled to right [Taveras scored, Moreno
scored]; Nolan allowed a passed ball [Ott to third]; Niekro
threw a wild pitch [Ott scored (unearned)]; B. Robinson grounded
out (third to first); 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 0,
Pirates 5.

BRAVES 6TH: Bonnell lined to center; Niekro flied out to right;
Royster flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 0,
Pirates 5.

PIRATES 6TH: Milner doubled to center; BERRA RAN FOR MILNER;
Garner grounded out (third to first); D. Robinson struck out;
Taveras flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 0,
Pirates 5.

BRAVES 7TH: BERRA STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 3B); B. ROBINSON
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Hubbard singled to left; JACKSON
REPLACED D. ROBINSON (PITCHING); Beall struck out; Horner struck
out; BURROUGHS BATTED FOR NOLAN; Burroughs walked [Hubbard to
second]; MURPHY BATTED FOR OFFICE; BENEDICT RAN FOR BURROUGHS;
Murphy homered [Hubbard scored, Benedict scored]; TEKULVE
REPLACED JACKSON (PITCHING); Gaston singled to right; Bonnell
singled to left [Gaston to second]; CHANEY BATTED FOR NIEKRO;
Chaney popped to third in foul territory; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Braves 3, Pirates 5.

PIRATES 7TH: BENEDICT STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING C ); MURPHY STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING 1B); BEALL CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF);
BONNELL CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING CF); GASTON CHANGED POSITIONS
(PLAYING RF); SKOK REPLACED CHANEY (PITCHING); Moreno reached on
an error by Murphy [Moreno to first]; Moreno stole second;
Parker doubled to left [Moreno scored (unearned)]; Stargell
doubled to left [Parker scored]; Ott grounded out (second to
first) [Stargell to third]; B. Robinson doubled to left
[Stargell scored]; Berra popped to second; Garner was walked
intentionally; Tekulve was called out on strikes; 3 R (2 ER), 3
H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 3, Pirates 8.

BRAVES 8TH: MENDOZA REPLACED TAVERAS (PLAYING SS); Royster
grounded out (shortstop to first); Hubbard doubled to left;
Beall grounded out (third to first); Horner flied out to center;
0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 3, Pirates 8.

PIRATES 8TH: Mendoza grounded out (third to first); Moreno
grounded out (second to first); Parker grounded out (pitcher to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 3, Pirates 8.

BRAVES 9TH: Benedict grounded out (pitcher to first); Murphy
singled to right; Gaston struck out; Bonnell reached on an error
by Mendoza [Murphy to third, Bonnell to first]; GILBREATH BATTED
FOR SKOK; Gilbreath struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 3,
Pirates 8.