They say that when you go out to see a baseball game, there is always a chance you will see something you have never seen before. Well, that was certainly true for the 327 people who attended a Florida State League game between the Dunedin Blue Jays and the Jupiter Hammerheads. The final score was 19-5 in favor of the Jays but that is not the story by a long shot. Here is the deal:
- Seven pitchers for the Hammerheads gave up 22 walks in the game.
Not only is that a Florida State League record; it is a record for all of full-season minor league baseball and it eclipses the MLB record for walks in a game by 3. In MLB, the Washington Senators had pitchers issue 19 bases on balls in a game in 1971. Let me give you a smattering of highlights from the box score of the Dunedin Blue Jays’ victory here:
- The Jays’ pitchers got into the spirit of the game by walking 10 Hammerhead batters – – including 5 walks for the Hammerheads’ leadoff batter.
- It was just not a day for hitters; in addition to the 32 walks issued by all the pitchers, there were a total of 24 strikeouts in the game.
- One Jupiter pitcher worked one third of an inning. He walked 3 batters and struck out one.
- Another Jupiter pitcher worked 1 1/3 innings walking 3 batters and striking out 3 other batters. He also found a way to give up 6 earned runs in that short stint on the mound.
- On top of all this, four players were hit by pitches in the game.
- Oh yes, there were also 3 wild pitches and a balk.
- The time of the game was 3 hours and 39 minutes.
Here is the stat I would want to know that will never appear in the box score:
- How many cold lagers did the home plate umpire quaff after that bit of torture?
Earlier this week, there was another unusual baseball happening.
- Yeshiva University beat Lehman College 9-5, and three huge losing streaks were ended on that day.
The two schools had a double-header scheduled. When the two teams took the field in Game One, Lehman had a 42-game losing streak working. Lehman won the first game 7-6 and ended that losing streak.
Yeshiva started the day with a 99-game losing streak and by losing the first game it moved into triple-digit territory without a win. However, in Game Two, Yeshiva finally emerged victorious by a score of 9-5. Losing streak #2 went down the drain …
Since Lehman was working on a 42-game losing streak that day, I have to assume that Lehman is not a college baseball powerhouse. Nevertheless, the third losing streak to be broken on that day involves Lehman’s dominance of Yeshiva over the years. Until that win in Game Two earlier this week, Yeshiva had never beaten Lehman in a baseball game. When Yeshiva won that second game, they ended an all-time 18-game losing streak to Lehman.
If ever there were a reason to storm a college baseball field, I think this would be it.
Last year, the White Sox lost 121 baseball games, and they have opened this year losing 9 of their first 11 games. In order to lose that many times, you would think that teams would need to invent ways to fend off victory. Well, the White Sox did that this week.
The Sox trailed the Guardians 3-1 in the ninth inning, but they had the bases loaded with two out. No, Casey did not strike out there; the Sox found a better way to lose. Miguel Vargas singled to left scoring the runner on third and the runner on second – – Mike Tauchmnan – – went steaming around third base intending to tie the score. And then Tauchman pulled up lame and was tagged as an easy third out. It seems that for the White Sox, when it rains, it pours.
Sticking with baseball – – but on a more positive note now – – the first two “Players of the Week” for 2025 have been named.
- In the National League, it is Kyle Tucker of the Cubs
- In the American League, it is Alex Bregman of the Red Sox
- Bregman was signed as a free agent this winter; Tucker was acquired by a trade this winter.
- Both were longtime Astros – – Tucker for 7 years and Bregman for 9 years.
Finally, since today was about baseball, let me close with this from Tommy Lasorda:
“There are three types of baseball players: Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happens.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
As that home plate umpire downs his cold brew, I hope he realizes that he must bear some responsibility for the baseball atrocity that occurred. When the pitching is that bad, the umpire must call a larger strike zone than usual, must find pitches that are close enough, and must find those pitches early in the count. If he does not, the batters will not swing, and the result is a huge number of walks in a bad baseball game that no one wants to see and no one wants to play. Since it was the Florida State League, it was probably a first-year ump right out of school. Maybe he learned a lesson that can only be learned on the field.
Gil:
Agree the home plate umpire needed to adjust to the game. The fact of several wild pitches, a hit batter and a balk in the game should have been a clue that this game was not going to be contested at a “World Series level” and that stretching the strike zone a bit would be a blessing for everyone concerned.
And with the score something like 17-3 in the late innings, I think any ball that does not bounce in front of home plate should have been a called strike…