jcn@aplvax.UUCP (08/25/83)
I was at a baseball game last night, one which I will long remember... August 24, Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore. The game was pretty boring for the first eight and one half innings and as Jim Clancy of the Jays and Scott McGregor of the Orioles pitched well. The score was three to one going to the bottom of the ninth. The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score at three. However, in the process of scoring the two runs by using various pinch hitters, the Orioles had to go to the tenth inning without an experienced catcher, third baseman, or second baseman. Hence, they had an infielder (Lenn Sakata) catching, and outfielders (John Lowenstein and Gary Roenieke) playing second and third base respectively. In the top of tenth inning, Cliff Johnson of the Jays belted a home run to put the Jays up, 4-3. After a Barry Bonnell single, Tippy Martinez of the Orioles came in to pitch. Martinez promptly picked Bonnell off first base, walked the next batter, picked him off first base, gave up a single to the next batter, and picked him off first base! Hence, Martinez picked three runners off in one inning (must be a major league record). The Jays may have been a little over-anxious to steal on the inexperienced catcher. The Orioles scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to win the game on home runs by Cal Ripken and Lenn Sakata (who probably would have done anything to avoid catching another inning :-)). With the various players playing positions they rarely play, and the three pickoffs in one inning, the game has to be the most unusual I have ever witnessed. By the way, I will be in Toronto on vacation next week when the Orioles visit there, and will probably see the Wednesday night game. Go Birds! (Which Birds? I'll never tell! :-)) John Noble JHU/APL ...decvax!harpo!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!jcn ...rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!aplvax!jcn