Sunday, June 26, 2011

Take me out to the ballgame!

This is my time of year.  Trees are green.  It's warm.  Flowers are growing.   The days are long.  And the boys of summer are back in town!

There's something about baseball I just love.  It has a continuity and life of its own.  Unlike football or basketball, soccer or hocky, it's not dependant on the clock.  Fast or slow, they'll play nine innnings.  Except for the exceptions.  Rain's not going to stop?  End of game.  It's tied after nine?  They'll play more.  Even those nine inning games are unpredictable.  They can be two hours or they can be four. 

And how do you score?  By making it home.  How comforting is that?

It has a history.  There are statistics about everything.

     Who had the most home runs in a single game? 
     Actually, 12 players have hit four homeruns in one game.

     What was the fewest pitches thrown by a single pitcher in a game?  
     Red Barrett Fifty-Eight Pitch Complete Game | August 10, 1944 at Crosley Field

     What was the longest game?  shortest?
     timewise: Chicago 7 vs. Milwaukee 6  8h 06m  25 innings, 5/8/84
                       New York 6 vs. Philadelphia 1  51m, 9/28/1919
     innings: Brooklyn 1 at Boston, 26 innings, 5/1/1920

     Who is the winningest pitcher?
     Walter Johnson with 417 wins

Teams and players are always trying to get better, set a new record.  They want the most RBIs, the lowest ERA, the longest consecutive hitting streak, the perfect game.

A good game isn't always defined by the score.  The Indians had a game earlier this year in which they won 1 to nothing.  The one run?  On a stolen base.     It was a real pitcters' duel.  They lost one recently in similar fashion, 1-0, both starters pitched complete games.

And then there's the blow-outs.  Those are great fun.   How about the come from behind wins?  Hey, they may be losing four to nothing, but don't count them down and out!  That five to four victory is sweet.

And when they're not doing so well?  There's always next year!



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