NOW PLAYING LEFT FIELD AND BATTING IN THE FOURTH POSITION, NUMBER 44, ROY OSWALT: I've been on a streak of attending Cole Hamels starts lately -- so I knew to expect solid pitching and minimal run support, and for the first time since May 21 all eight Phillies position players in the starting lineup. I just didn't expect to see 16 innings worth of madness.
There's a certain type of mania that seeps in after you cross the 10th, 11th and 12th innings and head towards the 14th Inning Stretch. Among other things, they ran out of film clips to use, exhausting nothing is over until we decide it is! and the like by the 12th, with the Varsity Blues Van Der Beek slow clap speech capping it off. After about a five-inning hiatus, the Phanatic came back in the 13th or so and just started doing random shtick with the fans, pulling one guy's top off and placing random hexes on players.
And then Ryan Howard got ejected, losing his cool worse than I've ever seen. We were out of position players. Hence, the title to this post, and when the first batter lofted a lazy fly ball in his direction ... bedlam. Look at that smile on his face. We won't talk about the rest.
But who was pinch hitting for <span>Pedro Borbon?</span>
ReplyDeleteI think you have the wrong video linked for the lazy fly ball - it goes to the Howard ejection.
ReplyDeleteWild and wooly indeed. I like it better when you end up with position players pitching than pitchers in the outfield, but fun regardless.
Fixed.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it last year when Cliff Lee pinch-ran for Matt Stairs.
ReplyDeleteRaul's dive into first to beat Bourn to end that inning was also fantastic. Funny enough, I have no memory how the game ended. I assume the Astros forfeited there, too afraid of the new LF/1B combos.
ReplyDeleteSorry to threadjack, but am giving away my tickets for tonight's Nationals game vs. the Cubs - 7:05 start. If any DC-area Thing Throwers want two tickets, shoot me an email at meg_johns45 at yahoo dot com. Seats are in L112 - two rows off the field past third base.
ReplyDeleteI'm going tomorrow to the series finale -- not sure where we'll be located but if it's anywhere near third base fill-in unpire (that was originally a typo, but I think it fits) Scott Barry, you'll probably be able to hear me.
ReplyDeleteLove "unpire".
ReplyDeleteI vaguely remembered Mike Benjamin pitching at the end of a blowout for the Red Sox at some point, but I couldn't remember the details. Thanks to SoSH:
ReplyDelete6-21-97: Red Sox are losing 15-4 going into the 9th. Benjamin pitches, retires all 3 batters he faces, and is the only Red Sox pitcher not to get scored on in the game.
The other thing of interest on that page is that in 1998 he played at least 10 games in every infield position for the Sox. I'd kill for that kind of ability this year. We could definitely use the catcher.
Wasn't it great to be there, Adam? Up until bottom of the ninth, two outs, the game was fairly boring. It sure got interesting in the 14th!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely fun to be in the stands at the end of the night. I was pleased with how many people stayed and baffled by people leaving during the 15th. To stay that long and leave before the game ends! So weird!
As frustrated as I am with umpires this whole season, it's tough to fault umps for the outcome of a game when the Phils only posted 2 runs in a 16 inning game.
On a pop culture related note, it's funny that Chooch is using In the Air Tonight as his batting music, right?
Indeed, there was a point around the 10th-11th inning where you had to decide to, as they'd say in poker, pot commit. Either leave then, or commit to staying until the end.
ReplyDeleteThe trade that took Oswalt to Philadelphia has been a win-win. Hated to see him leave Houston, but the future is getting brighter, thanks to the Phillies.
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