Accidentally in the tournament, Don Buford tries to stay in against Hall-of-Famer Ernie Lombardi, maybe-someday Hall-of-Famers Dwight Evans and Don Mattingly, Mariner Jay Buhner, and old-timers Les Mann, Fred Tenney, and Fred Pfeffer. They have to finish in the top 4 or with a record over .500 to make it through to Round Three.
The Hitters
Don Buford
Round One S70
75-79
Jay Buhner
Round One S41
72-82
Ernie Lombardi
Round One S12
70-84
Dwight Evans
Round One S62
67-87
Don Mattingly
Round One S27
65-89
Les Mann
Round One S57
63-91
Fred Tenney
Round One S59
59-95
Fred Pfeffer
Round One S53
52-102
The Results
| Player | Wins | Losses | Pct. | GB |
| Ernie Lombardi | 100 | 54 | .649 | *WON* |
| Don Buford | 94 | 60 | .610 | 6.0 |
| Don Mattingly | 86 | 68 | .558 | 14.0 |
| Jay Buhner | 76 | 78 | .494 | 24.0 |
| Fred Tenney | 72 | 82 | .468 | 28.0 |
| Dwight Evans | 71 | 83 | .461 | 29.0 |
| Les Mann | 64 | 90 | .416 | 36.0 |
| Fred Pfeffer | 53 | 101 | .344 | 47.0 |
Ernie Lombardi and Don Buford (!) were neck-and-neck heading down the stretch but “Schnozz” turned it on, going 9-1 to close out the season, finishing in first place, 6 games ahead. Mattingly and Buhner round out the top 4, each qualifying for Round 3. Despite having a positive run differential, Dwight Evans finished in 6th in no small part due to his 18-32 record in 1-run games. He and Fred Tenney, Les Mann, and Fred Pfeffer will be heading home.
Season Highlights
- Ernie Lombardi led all teams with a .258 batting average while the league hit a combined .227. Jay Buhner qualified despite his .191 team average and ONE stolen base in 9 attempts.
- A good amount of power was exhibited this season with Lombardi leading all teams with 250 home runs. One Lombardi led the league with 39 round-trippers and 4 other batters topped 30.
- Don Mattingly9 led all individuals with a .299 average.
- Jay Buhner8 had 10 HBP.
- Lee Smith2, pitching for Don Mattingly had 1.000 save percentage, totally 18 saves on the season.
- Walter Johnson3 of the Ernie Lombardi squad had 302 strikeouts on the season.
- Don Mattingly had 22 hits in a 11-10 victory over Dwight Evans.
- Don Mattingly and Les Mann had 23 hits apiece in a 21-inning game that Mann won 9-8.
- Jay Buhner99 had a 3-homer game.
- Walter Johnson1 of Dwight Evans struck out 17 Jay Buhners in 8 1/3 innings.
- No-Hitters
7/ 8 0 Walter Johnson7 of Les Mann vs. Dwight Evans in 9 innings
8/24 0 Pete Alexander7 of Les Mann vs. Jay Buhner in 9 innings