Tim Wakefield hasn’t given up a hit through 7 innings today.
These things usually take some help from the opposing team….take a look at that Oakland lineup:
Ryan Sweeney CF
Orlando Cabrera SS
Jack Cust DH
Matt Holliday LF
Mark Ellis 2B
Travis Buck RF
Kurt Suzuki C
Bobby Crosby 3B
Landon Powell 1B
Now, several of those guys are solid players for one reason or another, but seriously, how many of them would you put money on to bat above .250 this season? Maybe three – Holliday, of course; Cabrera; and probably Sweeney. It’s definitely a lineup prone to a shortage of hits.
UPDATE: Suzuki singles in the 8th to break it up.
For a famous example of how a lineup can set up a pitcher’s accomplishments, here’s the box score for Roger Clemens’ first 20-K game. Again, not a terrible lineup but a very high-strikeout one, with Steve Yeager and Spike Owen and a bunch of big-swinging sluggers including Danny Tartabull at second base. (Amazingly, only one of Clemens’ Ks that day was Gorman Thomas).
4 thoughts on “Knuckling Under”
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That would be an interesting analysis-look at perfect and no hit games and determine what was the most and least impressive based on lineups. Have to figure Larsen’s because it was in the Series against great players.
And didn’t Stormin’ Gorman take the Rocket deep that day?
One odd note and one ironic one.
Dwight Evans and Jim Rice were each caught stealing in that game.
McNamara used Dave Stapleton as a defensive replacement for Don Baylor at first base.
Also aided by Don Baylor playing 1B for the Sox in that game and dropping a routine inning ending foul ball that was turned into a K. That was a weird game that Clemens trailed for several innings (gave up an early solo HR) and Seattle swung at everything.
Not sure that the 6 run 8th hurt Wakefield yesterday since the knuckler is such a finicky pitch but to throw 67 pitches through 7 innings in this day and age is almost unbelieveable.