mlt@mb2c.UUCP (Mark L. Tompkins) (08/28/85)
>> I recall from last season a play similar to the White Sox - Yankees >> two men out at home fiasco. Kirk Gibson of the Tigers who is one of >> the fastest men in baseball hit a long drive to the deeps in Tiger >> Stadium. There was a man on base. Gibson hustled around the bases >> and went for an inside the parker. The through came in and the runner >> ahead of Gibson was out but Gibson made it safely for an inside the >> park home run. >> Do any of you recall more details about this? >> >> gene foster >> ihu1m!ewf >This play happened against Boston in a night game at Detroit. With a runner >on first (Whitiker i think) Gibson hit a ball off the center field fence. >The ball was almost caught so Whitiker played it halfway. The relay came >to the plate and Gedmen tagged Whitiker out. The worst umpire in baseball, >Larry Barnett emphatically called the out. As he did this he crossed in >front of the plate at the third base line. At the very same moment Gibson >came barrelling into Barnett and knocked him out cold. Gedmen put the tag >on Gibson. When Barnett fell, a ball fell out of his pocket and the first >base umpire, thinking that the loose ball was the game ball, called Gibson safe. >A big argument ensude and I believe the play cost Boston the game. >I live in Boston, but was born in Detroit and have been a Tiger fan for >many years. Thus I don't want you to think that this is a biased account of >the play, (Which makes the one from the Yankee game look routine). >Thank you, >William B. Solomon >Brighton Ma. I can't believe it's been this long since I witnessed this play. It happened in June of 1982 or 1983 - I'll have to look at my ticket stub to be sure. At any rate, it was undoubtedly the strangest play I've ever seen. The above details are basically correct, except that Boston won the game, 6-2. You'd think it was the 7th game of the Series the way that Houk argued the call - he ranted on for a good 20 minutes. The only 2 runs scored by the Tigers were both by Gibson. On his first at-bat, he struck out and looked sick doing it. He must have been pretty riled up, because on his second time up, he hit a 540-foot+ rocket over the right field roof. Then, on his third at-bat, the play described above occured. Tony Armas almost caught the ball at the center field wall - in fact, it deflected off his glove, that's why Whitaker had to hold so long. I remember earlier in the game that Jim Rice planted one in the upper deck in right-center above the 415 sign, and thinking that was awesome. The next inning, Dwight Evans hit a rope into the left-center seats, about 15 rows back over the 400 sign. I thought that was awesome. Then Gibson stepped up... All in all, that game was probably the most entertaining I've ever attended. A roof shot, 2 other homers, a wierd play at the plate; what else could you poosibly want. Except maybe a no-hitter, I guess. By the way, Gibson's hit was originally scored an inside-the-parker. Then the scorer thought how could he get a homer when the guy in front of him was thrown out? So he changed it to a triple. Then someone dug out the rule book, and found some obscure rule dealing with the value of a hit in scoring a run, and it was finally determined that since Whitaker did not score, Gibson could not be given a triple. So he was finally awarded a double. A double? When there were no errors on the play? Bizarre... Can anyone quote that rule from the rulebook? Mark Tompkins
cpf@lasspvax.UUCP (Courtenay Footman) (08/29/85)
>By the way, Gibson's hit was originally scored an inside-the-parker. Then the >scorer thought how could he get a homer when the guy in front of him was thrown >out? So he changed it to a triple. Then someone dug out the rule book, and >found some obscure rule dealing with the value of a hit in scoring a run, and >it was finally determined that since Whitaker did not score, Gibson could not >be given a triple. So he was finally awarded a double. A double? When there >were no errors on the play? Bizarre... Can anyone quote that rule from the >rulebook? > >Mark Tompkins Case note to 10.07 (b) "NOTE: Do not credit the batter with a three base hit when a preceding runner is put out at the plate, or would have been out but for an error. ..." (How can you say there were no errors on the play? How about E-U(mpire). :-) ) -- Courtenay Footman arpa: cpf@lnsvax Newman Lab. of Nuclear Studies usenet: cornell!lasspvax!cpf Cornell University