The scenario was set: Green had our top two pitchers having medical procedures at game time. A third player had a stent put in and then had complications and was still hospitalized. Yes, we had three players in three different hospitals at game time.
A fourth player was sick and should have been in bed. A fifth was under doctor's orders not to play until at least Friday after getting cortisone shots Monday. He could barely walk yesterday. These two played, against all common sense.
A sixth was on vacation, what a lame reason to miss a game!
Our catcher was a player who had not been active all year after a meniscus tear. He had been removed from our roster, but his replacement was still in spring training in Phoenix or Florida or somewhere, so we got a reprieve to have him play if he felt up to it.
So we couldn't lose, right?
We broke out like gangbusters, but may have given ourselves the curse of the first. Shel Perham's home run blast to center highlighted the five run first. Three more in the second (home run to the Field 3 dirt by Robert Douza), and we thought we were invincible. But we melted down with errors in the bottom of the second, and handed Gray eight runs to catch up. We spotted them five more in the fourth, but in the fifth answered with five of our own - seven straight hits without an out sandwiched around a walk.
Scoring nine more runs while our defense settled down in the fifth through top of the eighth, and we were sailing full speed ahead, 22-13. Douza had Gray eating out of his hand with three straight scoreless innings. But give Gray credit - they never quit, and this time with nine came roaring back to tie us going into the ninth. We nearly batted around in the open ninth, and plated four but left the bases loaded, and ultimately that opened the door just wide enough for Gabe Tenaka to smash his walk off triple.
The hitting stats were crazy. Perham was 5-6 and drove in ten runs! Michael Callahan was a machine, going 5-5 plus a walk and drove in four. Frank Coppa was also in the no out zone, going 5-5. Leo Kay was a nuisance with his five hits as he stretched three of them into doubles. Bill Jeha had two doubles and a triple among his four safeties. Everyone had at least a hit.
The corner infielders both snagged hot shots, and Callahan made a great grab going back in left to keep Gray off the board in the first. But this game was about offense and both teams had plenty to say about it.
It was a crushing defeat after nearly overcoming our adversity. But playing in such a classic Creaker game made it worth it no matter on which side you ended.
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