The Baseball Reference website

[DustyElbows]

Here's mine: Twins vs. Angels, April 17 2009 at the Metrodome.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...00904170.shtml

The Twins fell behind 8-3 and then 9-4 after the bullpen imploded. They had a 2% chance of winning the game heading into the bottom of the 8th. They scored 7 runs that inning, capped off by a Jason Kubel grand slam that not only gave them the lead, but gave Kubel the cycle. Joe Nathan came in and got the save in the 9th.

Kubel had an up-and-down career as a Twin, but 2009 was his best year. He hit 300/369/539 for a career-high 3.5 bWAR.

I remember being at this game with my best friend and being utterly dejected down 9-4. We were sure that the Twins would never win another game. So much for that.

[rink23]

This post made me harken back to a game I saw between the California Angels and Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on Aug. 7, 1974 when I was 9-years-old.
My great-aunt was good friends with Dick Williams, who was then manager of the Angels.
Her husband had contracted polio during WWII and settled in Florida as he was confined to a wheelchair.

Williams was their next-door-neighbor and actually made his house handicap accessible so my uncle could easily go from house-to-house. My uncle died late 1960s, early 1970s so I have no clear memory of him.
Anyway, in 1973, 1974 and 1975, my family took my great aunt and her children and another great aunt who was friends with Williams into Chicago to see the Athletics (1972) and Angels (1973 and 1974), as Williams was their manager.
Always had great seats, two or three rows behind the dugout. I remember at the Athletics game, our seats were in front of legendary Oakland owner Charlie Finley.
Anyway, I've always had this memory of seeing Nolan Ryan taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning only to lose the game with a one-hitter.
I was close. It was a three-hitter, all in the ninth.
It was 1-0 going into the ninth inning. I remembered that Frank Robison had hit a home run, which was correct. It was in the second inning off Jim Kaat.
Ryan struck out Jorge Orta to begin the ninth. His 13th K of the game.
Dick Allen followed with a single to right field to break up the no-hitter.
Carlos May then hit a ball where first baseman Bruce Bochte made an error.

Ken Henderson then singled to score Allen, tying the game.
Bill Melton fouled out to the catcher for the second out.
Bill Sharp then singled to right field to score May with the winning run.
My memory was of a single to start the rally, could not recall who was the batter.
He advanced on an error, my memory was on a wild throw from the third baseman, but I have always told the story of Carlos May being the hitter.

Henderson then hit a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly.
So my memory made a wrong turn at some point, but it was close.

[eldur00]

Brings back memories as well...

I'm from Quebec originally, and of course, Canada's sport is hockey. I was an avid hockey fan as a kid, but somehow, I never really got into baseball. Until one afternoon in July...

My grandma had this lake house I would always spend the summer at. The next door neighbor was her cousin and we would always end up there every day. They had a TV and we didn't. Not that TVs were rare, but it was rare for older folks to have a TV set at their lake house.

One Sunday afternoon in July, I decided I wanted to watch baseball on TV. The Expos were playing on the west coast for that particular weekend. They were visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I was about 10 years old and the first baseball game I ever watched was the Montreal Expos visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 28th 1991.

Needless to say, I was hooked for life.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by DustyElbows

Here's mine: Twins vs. Angels, April 17 2009 at the Metrodome.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...00904170.shtml

The Twins fell behind 8-3 and then 9-4 after the bullpen imploded. They had a 2% chance of winning the game heading into the bottom of the 8th. They scored 7 runs that inning, capped off by a Jason Kubel grand slam that not only gave them the lead, but gave Kubel the cycle. Joe Nathan came in and got the save in the 9th.

Kubel had an up-and-down career as a Twin, but 2009 was his best year. He hit 300/369/539 for a career-high 3.5 bWAR.

I remember being at this game with my best friend and being utterly dejected down 9-4. We were sure that the Twins would never win another game. So much for that.

Joe Nathan was an extemely underrated closer. IMHO, he warrants a closer look for the Hall (which he won't get). Take a look at his 2004 through 2009 seasons, along with 2012 and 2013 if you don't believe me. Highest FIP in those years? 2.88 in 2009. Worst WHIP? 1.057 in 2012. Worst H/9? 7.7 in 2012. All eight seasons he had a BB/9 rate under 3.0, except for 2013 when it was 3.1. Worst K/9 rate in that time? 9.7 in 2007. Worst K/BB rate? 3.32 in 2013. That's eight years of purely sick, wicked, ridunkulous, unadulterated and nasty filth.

I love baseball for the simple fact that you have to close out the other team if you want to win. There is no clock to bail you out in this game. Clocks are for wimps. The same thing with tennis. It is not over until the final out is made/final point is won. You've just reminded me of my next favourite. This one I watched on TV, and had to pick my jaw up off the floor when it was over:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...98906040.shtml

Sunday June 4, 1989. Fenway Park. Cito Gaston took over a 12-24 team before the game on Monday, May 15, 1989. Heading into this game, they had gone 10-7 under him. In the end, they finished out the season 77-49, and won the AL East on the last weekend of the season against Frank Robinson's surprising Baltimore Orioles.

Back to this game. I'll let the boxscore do the talking because there really are no words. I would not have believed it myself had I not continued to watch when things were at their absolute worst, and that was really, really, reeeally bad. What an unbelievable game.

The next day they opened up the SkyDome (this is it's true name and always will be for most of us) against the Brewers, and started drawing 4 million fans a year. The rest is history. What a time to be a Blue Jays fan.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by eldur00

Brings back memories as well...

I'm from Quebec originally, and of course, Canada's sport is hockey. I was an avid hockey fan as a kid, but somehow, I never really got into baseball. Until one afternoon in July...

My grandma had this lake house I would always spend the summer at. The next door neighbor was her cousin and we would always end up there every day. They had a TV and we didn't. Not that TVs were rare, but it was rare for older folks to have a TV set at their lake house.

One Sunday afternoon in July, I decided I wanted to watch baseball on TV. The Expos were playing on the west coast for that particular weekend. They were visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I was about 10 years old and the first baseball game I ever watched was the Montreal Expos visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 28th 1991.

Needless to say, I was hooked for life.

In the immortal words of Dave Van Horne: "El Presidente...El Perfecto". Absolutely glorious. The culmination of an incredible comeback from the grip of addiction.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...99107280.shtml

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by rink23

This post made me harken back to a game I saw between the California Angels and Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on Aug. 7, 1974 when I was 9-years-old.
My great-aunt was good friends with Dick Williams, who was then manager of the Angels.
Her husband had contracted polio during WWII and settled in Florida as he was confined to a wheelchair.

Williams was their next-door-neighbor and actually made his house handicap accessible so my uncle could easily go from house-to-house. My uncle died late 1960s, early 1970s so I have no clear memory of him.
Anyway, in 1973, 1974 and 1975, my family took my great aunt and her children and another great aunt who was friends with Williams into Chicago to see the Athletics (1972) and Angels (1973 and 1974), as Williams was their manager.
Always had great seats, two or three rows behind the dugout. I remember at the Athletics game, our seats were in front of legendary Oakland owner Charlie Finley.
Anyway, I've always had this memory of seeing Nolan Ryan taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning only to lose the game with a one-hitter.
I was close. It was a three-hitter, all in the ninth.
It was 1-0 going into the ninth inning. I remembered that Frank Robison had hit a home run, which was correct. It was in the second inning off Jim Kaat.
Ryan struck out Jorge Orta to begin the ninth. His 13th K of the game.
Dick Allen followed with a single to right field to break up the no-hitter.
Carlos May then hit a ball where first baseman Bruce Bochte made an error.

Ken Henderson then singled to score Allen, tying the game.
Bill Melton fouled out to the catcher for the second out.
Bill Sharp then singled to right field to score May with the winning run.
My memory was of a single to start the rally, could not recall who was the batter.
He advanced on an error, my memory was on a wild throw from the third baseman, but I have always told the story of Carlos May being the hitter.

Henderson then hit a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly.
So my memory made a wrong turn at some point, but it was close.

You never hear stories like this about Dick Williams. Just stories of a cranky, crotchety, curmudgeonly, miserable bastard. Who knew?

Here it is:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...97408070.shtml



EDIT: Ken Henderson was a beast that year. Well, as beastly as Ken Henderson got. It's all relative I guess.

[actionjackson]

Another great game I was at. Blue Jays down 8-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth. A young 23-year old Doug Drabek started this game for the Yankees against then 26-year old John Cerutti (who died waaay too young in 2004 at the age of 44 RIP).

Cliff Johnson singled and Willie Upshaw walked to start the ninth for the Jays. This marked the end of the night for Drabek, and on came Dave Righetti. Ok, game over right? Not quite. Rags struck out Buck Martinez to get the first out, but Damaso Garcia and Tony Fernandez got him for back-to-back RBI singles to make it 8-4...Hmmm interesting. Garth Iorg pinch hit for Rance Mulliniks and drew a walk to load the bases, which brought the lefty hitting Lloyd Moseby to the plate with still just one out. Moseby whiffed against the tough lefty, but up stepped George Bell.

The crowd was on its feet, and he did not disappoint as he launched a game tying, two out, bottom of the ninth Grand Salami into the LF grandstand, and sent the place into a frenzy. Are. You. Bleepin'. Kidding. Me? While the place was going completely bonkers, this happened before Lou Piniella came out to get the ball and the noise ramped up even more in old Exhibition Stadium. I had a memory of it, and I'm glad I found the video to prove to myself that it really happened because it's one of the crazier things I've ever seen at a baseball game.

Unfortunately, the boys couldn't pull it out that night, but it was a wild ride nonetheless. I completely lost my voice, and went to work at my job at a gas station the next afternoon with the stadium noise still ringing in my ears. Still one of my all-time favourite baseball memories.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...98606200.shtml

[eldur00]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

In the immortal words of Dave Van Horne: "El Presidente...El Perfecto". Absolutely glorious. The culmination of an incredible comeback from the grip of addiction.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...99107280.shtml

Absolutely.


What a lot of people don't know was that 2 days prior to that perfect game, Mark Gardner pitched 9 innings of no hit ball just to lose the game in the 10th. I obviously did not watch that game, but what a crazy series it would have been to follow. I wish I had.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by eldur00

Absolutely.


What a lot of people don't know was that 2 days prior to that perfect game, Mark Gardner pitched 9 innings of no hit ball just to lose the game in the 10th. I obviously did not watch that game, but what a crazy series it would have been to follow. I wish I had.

Oh man. What a tough way to lose a baseball game. Throw a nine inning no hitter only to get walked off in the tenth. But, it just provides further confirmation for me that the pitching win is an utterly meaningless statistic. Mark Gardner could not have pitched any better over those first nine innings and yet he still ended up taking the loss. It's not because he didn't will his team to victory, or that he lacked the intestinal fortitude to get it done, or that he lacked some kind of intangible ability to win baseball games. It's because baseball happened. Like it always does.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...99107260.shtml

I see one of the keys to that victory was former Expo Kevin Gross absolutely slamming the door on his old team in relief of Orel Hershiser. That must've been sweet for him. I also notice that Ivan Calderon was batting in the coveted #3 hole, not Larry Walker or Andres Galarraga. Oh what might've been had the injury bug not bitten him throughout his career. Baseball can be cruel sometimes.

Apropos of nothing that was my childhood best friend's 23rd birthday. I was working at a resort in the Canadian rockies, and thoroughly enjoying myself. 1991 through 1994 was a lot of fun for me, but I missed a lot of baseball due to the different start times out there, and the fact that not every game was on TV. A lot of them were, but it was nothing like it is today with the lucrative local TV contracts.

Here's a game as a Kansas City Royal two years later in Mark Gardner's career that, based on how he pitched, he had no business winning. His record went to 4-2 in 10 GS, despite a putrescent 5.86 ERA. To that point in the season, hitters were batting .271/.340/.493/.833 off him, so he was your basic, garden variety pin cushion, and yet...He was a "winner", clearly not because of anything he was doing, but because the baseball gods were on his side.

#KillTheWin

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...99306030.shtml

[DustyElbows]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Joe Nathan was an extemely underrated closer. IMHO, he warrants a closer look for the Hall (which he won't get). Take a look at his 2004 through 2009 seasons, along with 2012 and 2013 if you don't believe me. Highest FIP in those years? 2.88 in 2009. Worst WHIP? 1.057 in 2012. Worst H/9? 7.7 in 2012. All eight seasons he had a BB/9 rate under 3.0, except for 2013 when it was 3.1. Worst K/9 rate in that time? 9.7 in 2007. Worst K/BB rate? 3.32 in 2013. That's eight years of purely sick, wicked, ridunkulous, unadulterated and nasty filth.

You're right, Nathan had a really fantastic run and should get at least a little bit of Hall consideration.

Here's two stat-lines from 2004-2013:
Player A: 340 saves, 2.14 ERA, 10.8 K/9, .188 opponent average
Player B: 369 saves, 1.92 ERA, 8.4 K/9, .208 opponent average

Player B is a unanimous Hall of Famer and Player A is Joe Nathan, who probably won't get a shot.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by DustyElbows

You're right, Nathan had a really fantastic run and should get at least a little bit of Hall consideration.

Here's two stat-lines from 2004-2013:
Player A: 340 saves, 2.14 ERA, 10.8 K/9, .188 opponent average
Player B: 369 saves, 1.92 ERA, 8.4 K/9, .208 opponent average

Player B is a unanimous Hall of Famer and Player A is Joe Nathan, who probably won't get a shot.

Yessiree. That's a ten year run of complete and utter filth, in lockstep (2.56 FIP to 2.59 FIP if you think we're overstating the case) with the undisputed greatest relief pitcher of all-time. The last of those seasons came at age 38: 6-2, 43 SV, 1.39 ERA, 297 ERA+, 2.26 FIP, 0.897 WHIP, 5.0 H/9, 0.3 HR/9, 3.1 BB/9, 10.2 K/9, 3.32 K/BB in the complete and utter cauldron of hell (at least the weather is) that is Arlington, Texas. Also in that ten year run:

Rivera: 30.0 bWAR, 17.6 WAA, 20.7 fWAR, 29.84 WPA, 17.88 REW, 17.3 Pitching Wins Above Average

Nathan: 23.4 bWAR, 13.5 WAA, 18.2 fWAR, 30.63 WPA, 16.46 REW, 14.5 Pitching Wins Above Average

Ranks (among relievers in that ten year span): They are the top two in all of these categories during that stretch, Rivera is 1st in bWAR, WAA, fWAR, REW, and Pitching Wins Above Average, Nathan is 1st in WPA.

[Matt Arnold]

One of the best games I remember going to: https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...00308260.shtml

Expos trail 8-0 through 4 1/2, come back to win it 14-10. I still remember the team being down 8-0, and when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, nobody gave up, and the fans were up and cheering. They went on to win the next 2 games that series to get right up there in the wildcard race, at which point MLB was so determined to kill the team that they refused to call up players when rosters expanded.

[Germaniac]

Okay, here is my story:

In spring of 1983 my aunt, who lived in the States at the time, sent me a baseball season preview magazine ... I didn't know anything about baseball (I learned the rules with a baseball rulebook in German and the baseball broadcasts of AFN Europe) and somehow decided that the Milwaukee Brewers would be my team and Robin Yount would be my player.

Fast forward ... in 1990 I met a woman, we got engaged and would marry in May 1993. My fianceé had relatives in the US and we decided that our honeymoon trip would take us to the US - her uncle lived in Racine, 30 miles from County Stadium.

Okay, we planned to be there in May 1993 and I couldn't wait to see my first baseball game with Robin Yount playing. Just before we left I heard that Robin Yount had arthroscopic knee surgery and would miss about three weeks

We arrived Friday, May 14 at the home of my wife's uncle and he told me, that Robin would probably play Saturday, but that he definitely would play Sunday.

So, Sunday, May 16, 1993 we went to County Stadium, Brewers vs Indians, my first baseball game ever.

First inning ...

Pat Listach singles, Bill Spiers singles (Listach to 3rd) and then Robin Yount hits a sacrifice fly to drive in the first run.

Okay, in a Hollywood movie he would have hit a towering homerun, but that sac fly was more than enough for me and to top it the Crew won 5-3.

My very first live baseball game

We went to the game the next day, a night game against the Tigers ... night game, rainy ... Yount doubled home a run in the first inning, but soon after that the game was interrupted because of heavy rain.

We waited and waited - I simply didn't want to go - but at some point the game was cancelled.

But I'll never forget my first baseball game on a sunny Sunday afternoon and this unforgettable sacrifice fly.

[actionjackson]

It was May 25, 1980. Bobby Nystrom had scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in OT the night before, as the New York Islanders dethroned the winners of four straight Stanley Cups, the Montreal Canadiens. They began their own four season streak until the high flying Edmonton Oilers took over in the mid-eighties.

Anyway, that is neither here not there. I was going to see a baseball game against the New York Yankees. The Yankees were starting Tommy John who was 7-1, with a 2.45 ERA at the time. John had gotten blown out in his previous start against the Detroit Tigers, having started that game 7-0, 1.66 in 8 GS. He was up against a kid making his major league debut for the Blue Jays. Luis Leal would eventually be part of the Blue Jays first "Big Three" starting pitchers with Dave Stieb (who was on his way to becoming an absolute stud), and Jim Clancy. These three would be particularly instrumental in 1982 when the Blue Jays finally escaped the basement in the AL Beast. Well, they finished tied for last with the Cleveland Indians anyway, but after five years of blech, it felt like a World Championship. So, huge advantage Yankees right? In fact why bother even going? Because baseball is a crazy game that's why.

Leal had to get through his major league debut before he could briefly go on to become an anchor in the rotation though. There was another kid who was playing in his second major league game that day. I would often emulate his mannerisms when I played in the outfield, and he was definitely one of my early favourites. Perhaps it had something to do with this game. Lloyd Moseby was the DH that day and was the star of the game, going 3 for 5 with 2 runs, a double, a homer and four RBI as the home team would make quick work of the famous Yankee pitcher, and Ed Figueroa would not do much better. It wound up 9-6 Blue Jays, but it wasn't all that close really at 9-2 through four innings.

Despite the win, Blue Jays pitching would not strike out a single Yankee in the game. I wonder how often that happens these days. Probably never given the human industrial fans that are constantly swinging as hard as they can, hoping to make contact.

Another interesting tidbit. The umpiring crew was down to three that day. There was no 2B ump, so I guess they rotated around to get the calls right.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...98005250.shtml

[grall1126]

Originally Posted by eldur00

Brings back memories as well...

I'm from Quebec originally, and of course, Canada's sport is hockey. I was an avid hockey fan as a kid, but somehow, I never really got into baseball. Until one afternoon in July...

My grandma had this lake house I would always spend the summer at. The next door neighbor was her cousin and we would always end up there every day. They had a TV and we didn't. Not that TVs were rare, but it was rare for older folks to have a TV set at their lake house.

One Sunday afternoon in July, I decided I wanted to watch baseball
on TV. The Expos were playing on the west coast for that particular weekend. They were visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I was about 10 years old and the first baseball game I ever watched was the Montreal Expos visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 28th 1991.




Needless to say, I was hooked for life.

Cool story and hockey was great in the 70-80's

[grall1126]

That day in 1980 was one of the worst days of my life!!!! I was a big NY Ranger fan and seeing the Cheesebox Is-landerssss win the cup was horrible. The next 3 years of high school were torturous. However, we still out argued the is-Lander spoiled fans !!

Good times back then, it's just not the same anymore.

I liked that story from Germaniac

[BMW]

I was at the game in 1989 where Sid Fernandez and Rick Aguilera beat the Phillies - and not a single Met registered an assist in the game. All strikeouts, fly balls and unassisted ground balls.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...98906250.shtml

It will take a long time for relief pitchers to really make headway in the Hall of Fame. The voters are older and a portion of them will vote 30 years behind the times.

There's a reason why Rivera is the first no-brainer reliever to get into the hall. Because mortals just don't put up numbers like this.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by BMW

I was at the game in 1989 where Sid Fernandez and Rick Aguilera beat the Phillies - and not a single Met registered an assist in the game. All strikeouts, fly balls and unassisted ground balls.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/b...98906250.shtml

It will take a long time for relief pitchers to really make headway in the Hall of Fame. The voters are older and a portion of them will vote 30 years behind the times.

There's a reason why Rivera is the first no-brainer reliever to get into the hall. Because mortals just don't put up numbers like this.

That...Is insane. Well, both things actually. I'm not going to try to find out, but I wonder how many times the no team assists thing has happened in baseball history.

EDIT: No assists and no errors. Just 27 putouts.

[BMW]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

That...Is insane. Well, both things actually. I'm not going to try to find out, but I wonder how many times the no team assists thing has happened in baseball history.

EDIT: No assists and no errors. Just 27 putouts.

Yeah, it is funny. I could totally lie, but I won't. We honestly didn't even notice until we were in the car after the game listening to the post-game show. From what they said, it was the first time it happened, and I don't believe it has ever happened since.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by BMW

Yeah, it is funny. I could totally lie, but I won't. We honestly didn't even notice until we were in the car after the game listening to the post-game show. From what they said, it was the first time it happened, and I don't believe it has ever happened since.

Somebody should get the Elias Sports Bureau on that one. They're really good with the baseball minutiae.