It takes a special kind of suck to have a night like Bobby Seay did last night.
I was listening to the Angels/Tigers game on my XM while driving to Los Angeles and man it was riveting. No score in the 12th but both teams had chances to rally and both teams were squashed by terrific pitching.
Every cameraman’s friend Kenny Rogers goes 7 shut out innings. Jon Garland goes 7 1/3.
Angels Scot Shields, Frankie Rodriguez and someone named Jose Arrendondo combined for 4 2/3 shut out innings. (So much for that Tiger offense.)
Tiger’s Zach Miner wiggles out of trouble and throws 2 shutout innings.
And then a rookie named Freddy Dolsi kept the shutout alive through the 10th and 11th before loading the bases with 1 out in the 12th.
In comes Seay.
Now you have the bases loaded, 1 out in the 12th and you are the road team. In other words if a run comes in, the game is over.
Obviously you want a strikeout.
Or maybe a sharply hit ball to an infielder to cut the run off at the plate.
Or a pop fly to the infield or at worst a shallow fly to the outfield.
But every scenario involves throwing a strike.
Seay throws ball 1… then ball 2 to Garret Anderson.
Even the announcers were saying “He has to throw it down the heart of the plate.”
Ball 3.
Now when you are down 3-0 and a ball means the game is over… don’t you just lob it down the heart of the plate?
Maybe he’s taking (you think?) maybe he’ll be late on his swing and pop it up.
Throw a strike and trust your fielders.
He might as well as sent them in a la Satchel Paige.
Ball 4.
A wonderfully pitched game ended because a supposed major leaguer couldn’t throw a single pitch over the plate.
Pray for Jim Leyland’s lungs.
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