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Jerry Royster is a former Major League Baseball player who played for several teams during his career. He was born on October 18, 1952, in Sacramento, California, and attended Sacramento City College before being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 1970 MLB draft.
Royster made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 1973 and played
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Jerry Royster is a former Major League Baseball player who played for several teams during his career. He was born on October 18, 1952, in Sacramento, California, and attended Sacramento City College before being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 1970 MLB draft.
Royster was primarily a utility player, playing multiple positions throughout his career, including second base, shortstop, third base, and outfield. He was known for his speed and defensive abilities, and he was a reliable hitter with a career batting average of .249.
Royster's best season came in 1982 when he hit .295 with 8 home runs and 53 RBIs for the Braves. He also stole 25 bases that season and was named to the National League All-Star team.
After retiring from playing, Royster became a coach and manager in the minor leagues. He managed several teams, including the Greenville Braves, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, and the Gwinnett Braves. He also served as a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves.
Royster was inducted into the Sacramento City College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Overall, Jerry Royster had a successful career in Major League Baseball, playing for several teams and earning a reputation as a versatile and reliable player. He continued to contribute to the sport as a coach and manager after retiring from playing.
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Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants - Radio Broadcast / On Thursday, September 14, 1978, the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants faced off at Candlestick Park. The Braves sent Jim Bouton to the mound, an experienced right-hander who had a unique career trajectory, transitioning from a successful starter to a knuckleball reliever after a series of arm troubles. The Giants countered with Ed Halicki, a towering 6'7" right-hander known for his no-hitter in 1975. At this point in the season, the Braves were in the middle of the pack in the National League West, while the Giants were struggling to keep pace. The 1978 season was marked by the Yankees and Dodgers' fierce competition, each leading their respective leagues, while Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds was in pursuit of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak record.
The game got off to a slow start, with the Braves scoring an unearned run in the second inning due to errors by Halicki and John Tamargo. The Giants responded with a run of their own in the third, capitalizing on an error by Bouton. The Braves' Dale Murphy, who would later become a two-time MVP, made an impact on the base paths by stealing second base and later scoring due to the Giants' errors. In the sixth inning, the Giants threatened to score with a runner on second, but Bouton managed to get out of the jam, maintaining the slim lead.
The Braves broke the game open in the seventh inning, scoring two more runs thanks to key hits from Glenn Hubbard and Jerry Royster. The Giants, however, struggled to generate offense against the Braves' pitching. After Bouton's solid six innings of work, Craig Skok and Gene Garber held the Giants hitless over the final three innings. The Braves added an insurance run in the eighth, securing a 4-1 victory.
The win improved the Braves' standing in the NL West, although they would ultimately finish the season in the middle of the pack. The Giants, meanwhile, continued to struggle, ending the year near the bottom of the division. The 1978 season would conclude with the New York Yankees defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The Braves' Dale Murphy, despite his team's middling performance, began to show signs of the player he would become in the 1980s, one of the most dominant in the National League. This game, while not a highlight of the season, was a good representation of the Braves' potential and the Giants' struggles in the 1978 season.