If ever there was a game that went from grim to great, it was this one.
We started with 10 players at 3pm. Well, technically 3:05 because I was late due to bridge traffic and the Up your Alley Street fair. However, while we wallowed in our despair, things started to look up. 3 guys started playing catch in the outfield, and 3 kids were hitting baseballs near the infield. We recruited 5 of the 6 and suddenly we had a game! Add Santos, who showed up late on his bike, and we were set.
Mitch and I dueled it out for the full length of the game, which ended up being 8 innings, since we had people that had to leave. The Homers scored first, and then it went into see-saw mode. 1-1, 2-1, 2-2. No one could break open the game, and the defense for both sides was pretty locked down. I know we had at least 2 double plays for our team, and all the new guys contributed with at least one defensive play. Mitch and I both had good games, both had working curveballs, and kept a lot of people off balance.
I was covering 2nd base in the 7th inning and sadly, really fucked up a play. Mike N hit a curving rocket in my direction, and I tried to play it backhanded so as to shield my body as much as possible from injury. I missed it of course, and the go ahead run scored, and then another. So we went into the end of the game 4-2. I felt bad about that.
The Visitors wasted no time in scoring that run back and then another to knot the game back at 4's. So we headed into the bottom of the last inning, tied. We decided that if it was still tie at the end we would leave it as is and call it a tie.
I was the first batter up, and hit a ground ball that was destined to be an out, except that it went through the SS wickets, and suddenly I was on first base. I really didn't want to be the winning run on base, and I almost asked for a pinch runner, but I figured there was a good chance that I would be the easy out at 2nd or something.
On the second pitch, Powell tattooed one to left field, well over the head of the fielder. I started running, and when I was at 3rd, the ball was still in the deep outfield so I figured to go for it, and barreled home. I was readying myself to slide and possible break everything, but the throw never came, and the game as over.
Apparently I had been told to stop at 3rd, but didn't never heard that. I collapsed for a few minutes, not sure how I was going to recover, but I did.
5-4, Homers.
Highlights
* Thanks to everyone who made it out! Roll call of the devoted: Adam, Greg, Bob, Mitch, Chris, John McG, Santos, Mike N, Mike Lynch, Satch, Rick
* Thanks to Finn and Liam, our two kid recruits who did a great job!
* Thanks to Tomas and the two other guys, hope they come back next week
* John and Greg did a fine job behind the dish, keeping the ball in front, as did Liam
* Defensively we did great, even our errors were on hard plays
* Knuckleball was working!
* After 2 close throws from 3rd, we moved Finn to 2nd and he got a ground ball out, way to go kid!
* Liam roughed me up for two hits before I realized I didn't need to take it easy on him
* A lot of very close plays, I would not have wanted to be the umpire
* Twice I struck out New guy with two outs, and both times, Greg questioned why I was walking off the mound....
* It was 64 degrees and foggy the whole game
* We spotted the traitor Dave walking away after his olde tyme game finished, not even considering playing with us....
* Another discussion on where a ball has to land to be an automatic homerun, when we don't have a fence. At this field, I have always though that you needed to get the ball to the berm, or the foothills as Adam called it, to be legit. Chris is salty that I get the call, but he has to run his hits out, on account of him being in shape and me being, well, me. I can't discount that completely. I think a 380ft shot should be a automatic round tripper, and that is about what the map tells us is the beginning of the hill
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