Christ on a Bike
On July 21st of 2002 AJ and I attended a Sox game here at the Stadium. It was a wild affair, one of Jeff Weaver's first starts in pinstripes, four lead changes, 17 runs, 22 hits, 3 Sox errors. It was nuts. Oogie got the last two out of the eight to secure a one-run lead. After tying the score the Yanks had a runner on third and nobody out. The Sox proceeded to intentionally walk Ventura and Mondesi, but the strategy was for naught as Posada worked a bases-loaded walk to score the winning run.
May 28th of the following season AJ and I attended another Sox game at the Stadium. After scratching out four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the score the Sox sent Brandon Lyon out to pitch the bottom half of the inning. Again the Yanks put a man on third, this time with one out. Lyon intentionally walked Soriano and Giambi to face Posada. AJ and I could feel the inevitable disaster brewing. "Remember last summer..." Sure enough Jorge again drew a walk-off walk. "What are the odds?" we wondered.
I relived this unpleasantness with Bill James last summer during a rather contentious e-mail debate we were having regarding the relative HoF candidacies of McGriff and Palmeiro (Bill, if you're reading this, I will now gladly concede that you are right and I am wrong, but you were still kind of a jerk about the whole thing). Bill respectfully declined to comment on the "strategy," pointing out that as an employee of the Boston Red Sox it would be inappropriate to comment on Grady's decisions.
Not half-an-hour ago, as AJ lay on the couch watching the Expos/Braves and I sat here listening to the Sox and monitoring the Yankees on the internet, the Orioles decided to walk Sheff and A-Rod with Jete on 3rd, so they might pitch to Posada. I jumped up, turned on the Yankee game and turned off the Sox. We gave each other a knowing look and began to reminisce abut the aforementioned incidents. Sure enough...
Pitch 1: strike 1 (looking)
Pitch 2: ball 1
Pitch 3: strike 2 (swinging)
Pitch 4: ball 2
Pitch 5: ball 3
Pitch 6: ball 4
Maybe it's time to do away with this particular strategem, at least when Jorge's the guy in the hole. Maybe.
May 28th of the following season AJ and I attended another Sox game at the Stadium. After scratching out four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the score the Sox sent Brandon Lyon out to pitch the bottom half of the inning. Again the Yanks put a man on third, this time with one out. Lyon intentionally walked Soriano and Giambi to face Posada. AJ and I could feel the inevitable disaster brewing. "Remember last summer..." Sure enough Jorge again drew a walk-off walk. "What are the odds?" we wondered.
I relived this unpleasantness with Bill James last summer during a rather contentious e-mail debate we were having regarding the relative HoF candidacies of McGriff and Palmeiro (Bill, if you're reading this, I will now gladly concede that you are right and I am wrong, but you were still kind of a jerk about the whole thing). Bill respectfully declined to comment on the "strategy," pointing out that as an employee of the Boston Red Sox it would be inappropriate to comment on Grady's decisions.
Not half-an-hour ago, as AJ lay on the couch watching the Expos/Braves and I sat here listening to the Sox and monitoring the Yankees on the internet, the Orioles decided to walk Sheff and A-Rod with Jete on 3rd, so they might pitch to Posada. I jumped up, turned on the Yankee game and turned off the Sox. We gave each other a knowing look and began to reminisce abut the aforementioned incidents. Sure enough...
Pitch 1: strike 1 (looking)
Pitch 2: ball 1
Pitch 3: strike 2 (swinging)
Pitch 4: ball 2
Pitch 5: ball 3
Pitch 6: ball 4
Maybe it's time to do away with this particular strategem, at least when Jorge's the guy in the hole. Maybe.
3 Comments:
I almost threw up when that ball went (on what appeared off the bat to be a hard line drive) to Bellhorn.
hi honey!!
glad to see you and your pal Al K. Hol made it thru the week.
that was strange walking arod, especially with his problems hitting with risp.
well, with mr. brown on the adios file (what a dumbass) this is an increasingly exciting pennant race. sorry, division race. whatever will you rename your blog when yall beat the MFY and you can't say you're #2 anymore???
lisa gray
I agree with Matt, only I think it will be between the A's and the Yankees.
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