1971-Apr-12 - CHC/LAD - Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers - Classic Baseball Radio Broadcast

1971 MLB Standings . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/leagues/mlb/...
Monday, April 12, 1971
Attendance: 15,407
Venue: Dodger Stadium . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/stadiums/dod...
Night Game, on grass
Box Score. . . . . . . . . . . . . https://www.baseball-reference.com/bo...
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Radio Announcers
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Vin Scully . . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/vin-...
Jerry Doggett . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/jerr...
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Managers
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Leo Durocher . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/leo-...
Walt Alston . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/walt...
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Starting Lineups
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1971 Chicago Cubs . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/teams/chicag...
1 - SS - Don Kessinger . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/don-...
2 - 2B - Glenn Beckert . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/glen...
3 - LF - Billy Williams . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/bill...
4 - 3B - Ron Santo . . . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/ron-...
5 - 1B - Joe Pepitone . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/joe-...
6 - RF - Johnny Callison . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/john...
7 - CF - José Ortiz . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/jose...
8 - C - J.C. Martin
9 - P - Ken Holtzman . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/ken-...
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1971 Los Angeles Dodgers . . . https://retroseasons.com/teams/los-an...
1 - SS - Maury Wills . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/maur...
2 - RF - Manny Mota . . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/mann...
3 - 1B - Wes Parker . . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/wes-...
4 - LF - Dick Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/dick...
5 - C - Bill Sudakis . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/bill...
6 - 2B - Jim Lefebvre . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/jim-...
7 - 3B - Steve Garvey . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/stev...
8 - CF - Bill Russell . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/bill...
9 - P - Sandy Vance . . . . . . . . . . . https://retroseasons.com/players/sand...

Game Summary (may have spoilers)
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On April 12, 1971, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium in the early weeks of the National League season. The Dodgers sent right-hander Bill Vance to the mound, making his first start of the season, while the Cubs countered with Ken Holtzman, looking to rebound after dropping his first outing. The Cubs entered 1971 coming off back-to-back 2nd place finishes in the NL East and were again expected to contend with a veteran core featuring Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Glenn Beckert. The Dodgers, under Walter Alston, were continuing a youth-focused transition, with developing players like Steve Garvey and Bill Russell getting opportunities to solidify roster spots. Around the league, Hank Aaron was inching closer to 600 home runs, and Vida Blue had already become the breakout story of the young season with Oakland in the AL.

The game moved steadily with few baserunners early, but Chicago took a brief lead in the third inning when Billy Williams and Glenn Beckert helped push across a run. Los Angeles answered quickly with home runs from Steve Garvey and Dick Allen in the third and fourth innings, turning the tide. The key inning came in the sixth when a passed ball set the stage for a two-run triple by Jim Lefebvre, pushing the Dodgers ahead by three. Vance pitched into the seventh before giving way to Jim Brewer, who inherited two runners but escaped further damage. Chicago chipped away with runs in the seventh and eighth, including a sacrifice fly by Santo, but couldn’t find the tying hit.

The Dodgers held on for a 4–3 win, improving to 4–1 on the year. Garvey’s home run was his second of the season and an early sign of his growing role on the roster. For the Cubs, Holtzman fell to 0–2 despite a solid start. Chicago would remain competitive throughout 1971, finishing third in the division, while the Dodgers faded to a sub-.500 record. Neither team reached the postseason, with Pittsburgh eventually claiming the NL pennant. The year ended with Joe Torre winning the MVP and Vida Blue claiming both the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in a dominant campaign.

#BillRussell
#SteveGarvey
#DickAllen
#RonSanto
#BillyWilliams
#1971MLB
#DodgerStadium
#CubsVsDodgers

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