NakamuraUltimate Baseball Value Meal: A No Hitter with a Side of 20 Innings and an Unfinished Game
Remember Saturday April 17th for the rest of your life. Engrave it into your brain. Because one day, it will be the king of all baseball trivia.
To begin with, the Red Sox and Rays played 1.5 games. The Sox had Josh Beckett on the hill the previous day, but rain did not allow the game to finish. So they picked up where they had left off. Daniel Bard got the "start" but reliever Manny Delcarmen received the loss. Pat Burrel homered for the first time this season bringing in teammate Evan Longoria to make the game 3-1. Rafael Soriano got the save and Lance Cormier got the win.
Hours later, Game "2" began with Clay Buchholz and James Shield taking the hill. As of the 7th inning, the score is 6-5. This game has been somewhat "normal" so far.
But on the other hand, the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets faced craziness all day. The Red Sox played a total of 12 innings that day. The Cardinals and Mets played 20. Yes, TWENTY. Catcher Yadier Molina caught all 20 innings and went 3-9. The Cardinals, as a team, had a total of 69 at bats and left 37 runners on base. Both teams used a combined 19 pitchers, and I use the term "pitcher" very lightly. Position players Felipe Lopez and Joe Mather took the mound for a combined 3 innings. A crazy day indeed. But it doens't end there.
Colorado pitcher Urbaldo Jimenez threw a no hitter. Though this one did last only 9 innings, it still held a higher significance than your standard no-no. Afterall, it was the first no hitter in Rockie history. With 7 strikeouts and (only) 6 walks, Jimenez held the Braves down to no hits, giving the Rockies the 4-0 win.
So wait a couple months or even a few years. Then approach your friends and ask, "Name the four teams that were involved in a 20 inning marathon and a no hitter on the same day". See how many people can answer that one correctly.
To begin with, the Red Sox and Rays played 1.5 games. The Sox had Josh Beckett on the hill the previous day, but rain did not allow the game to finish. So they picked up where they had left off. Daniel Bard got the "start" but reliever Manny Delcarmen received the loss. Pat Burrel homered for the first time this season bringing in teammate Evan Longoria to make the game 3-1. Rafael Soriano got the save and Lance Cormier got the win.
Hours later, Game "2" began with Clay Buchholz and James Shield taking the hill. As of the 7th inning, the score is 6-5. This game has been somewhat "normal" so far.
But on the other hand, the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets faced craziness all day. The Red Sox played a total of 12 innings that day. The Cardinals and Mets played 20. Yes, TWENTY. Catcher Yadier Molina caught all 20 innings and went 3-9. The Cardinals, as a team, had a total of 69 at bats and left 37 runners on base. Both teams used a combined 19 pitchers, and I use the term "pitcher" very lightly. Position players Felipe Lopez and Joe Mather took the mound for a combined 3 innings. A crazy day indeed. But it doens't end there.
Colorado pitcher Urbaldo Jimenez threw a no hitter. Though this one did last only 9 innings, it still held a higher significance than your standard no-no. Afterall, it was the first no hitter in Rockie history. With 7 strikeouts and (only) 6 walks, Jimenez held the Braves down to no hits, giving the Rockies the 4-0 win.
So wait a couple months or even a few years. Then approach your friends and ask, "Name the four teams that were involved in a 20 inning marathon and a no hitter on the same day". See how many people can answer that one correctly.
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