#410---CLE @ COL, 4/1/2012

 A lot of runs were scored in this very late Spring Training game, including Travis Hafner’s first inning grand slam, but the real fireworks came when ex-Rockie Ubaldo Jimenez plunked Troy Tulowitzki (almost surely intentionally) in the bottom of the first, leading to Tulo being replaced by a pinch-runner. Colorado eventually led 10-5 after six, powered by a pair of homers (two-run and three-run) from Tyler Colvin, but Shelley Ducan hit Cleveland’s second grand slam in the sixth and the Tribe prevailed 12-10.

#409---Norfolk @ Columbus, 7/31/2011

 

The Clippers trailed the Tides 5-1 after five, but got solo homers in the sixth and seventh and a two-run homer in the eighth to tie it up. Not much happened in extra innings; Columbus had runners at first and second with one out in the twelfth and Norfolk runners at first and second with two out in the thirteenth. In the bottom of the thirteenth, Shelley Duncan led off with a walk, then stole second on the first pitch to Nick Johnson and took third on the catcher’s throwing error. Johnson and the next Clipper batter were intentionally passed and pinch hitter Beau Mills hit one to the track in left for a long walkoff single.

For me, the most notable aspect of the game was Matt Angle returning to Columbus as Norfolk’s leadoff hitter. He had a good game, going 3-5 with a walk, although his good v. evil confrontation with Zack Putnam never really came to fruition as he dropped down a sac bunt.

#408---Trenton @ Akron, 5/3/2010

 This was a wild Eastern League slugfest without a lot of notable future big leaguers. Akron trailed 6-0 but put up their first five-spot in the third. Trenton answered with a pair of two-run innings, but Akron plated five more in the fifth (the first six batters reached) and it was 10-10. But Trenton had the haymaker with a seven-run sixth (an inning started by Kerry Wood) capped by Brandon Laird’s two-run homer. Wood was on a rehab assignment and was lit up for five runs in 2/3 of an inning. Laird had the biggest offensive performance on a night of big offensive performances (4-5, 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 D, HR, W). 

#407---Binghamton @ Akron, 8/31/2009

I suppose the three most notable future big leaguers in this game were Reuben Tejada (3-4, 3 RBI, D, SB), Ike Davis (2-5, 2 RBI, HR), and Carlos Santana (3-4, 2 RBI, D, W), and they all had big games. Aeros leadoff hitter Jose Costanza reached base all five times, scoring four runs, and Akron won an entertaining slugfest 10-7. 

#406---ATL @ WAS, 3/30/2008

This was the MLB season opener and the first game at Nationals Park. Washington got off to a good start, with two-out RBI hits from Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns giving them a 2-0 lead off Tim Hudson. That was literally all they would get off Hudson as he retired the last nineteen batters he faced, leaving the game after just 78 pitches through seven.

Chipper Jones’ homer cut it to 2-1 in the fourth, but the Braves managed little offense with just two baserunners in the fifth through the eighth. Facing Jon Rauch with one out in the ninth, Mark Teixeira doubled, advanced to third on Jeff Francoeur’s groundout, and scored the tying run on a Paul LoDuca passed ball on the first pitch to Brian McCann. Meanwhile, Will Ohman had a 1-2-3 eighth and Peter Moylan set down the first two Nats in the ninth, running Atlanta’s streak to twenty-four retired. But Ryan Zimmerman ended that and the game with a homer to centerfield.

#405---NYA @ BOS, 4/22/2007

All eyes immediately jump to the bottom of the fourth, where Jarret Wright induced six consecutive flyballs. The first two were secured by Bobby Abreu and Melky Cabrera; the next four, hit by Manny Ramirez, JD Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek, were over the fence. My note says that at the time this was the fifth occurrence of four straight homers, with JD Drew having hit the second homer in one of the other skeins. 

Despite that, the Yankees held a 5-4 lead entering the seventh until Mike Lowell hit a three-run dinger off Scott Proctor. Boston held on for a 7-6 win. One oddity was Andy Pettitte’s sixth-inning relief appearance – not sure what the story was there as he was a rotation stalwart in 2007, leading the league with 34 starts.

#404---CLE @ CHA, 4/2/2006

I believe this is the only time the Indians were ever given the privilege of participating in the first MLB game of the season, a Sunday Night affair at the defending world champion White Sox and the opening salvo in what was expected to be a season-long divisional race. The game and the season both turned out to be disappointing (both for the Tribe, the latter for the ChiSox). 

Chicago started getting to CC Sabathia in the bottom of the third; they had scored two runs and had a runner at first with one out when Sabathia had to leave due to an injury after delivering a strike to Jim Thome. Danny Graves, a former top prospect for Cleveland making his return as a veteran bullpen piece, would allow another run and wriggle out of a bases loaded jam. The Tribe answered back in the fourth with a three-run shot from Eduardo Perez, but the game was delayed by rain in the middle of the fourth for nearly three hours. When it finally resumed, Jim Thome answered with a three-run shot off Fernando Cabrera and Chicago put up third straight three-spot in the fifth, cruising to a 10-4 win. The game finally ended at 2:13 Eastern time.

#403---CHN @ SD, 6/4/2005

For this game I used a scoresheet that incorporates some of the concepts of Reisner Scorekeeping, but maintaining a 9x9 grid and eschewing the use of diamonds. Each line in the scorebox labeled 1, 2, 3 is to note the lineup slot of the runner on the respective base and what happens to them during the course of the plate appearance. For example, looking at Jerry Hairston’s box in the top of the fourth, the #8 hitter was on second base and the #7 hitter was on third. Hairston singled, advancing the runner from second to third (-->3) and the runner from third to score (-->H). The boxed X indicates a run scored. 

As for the game, the visitors got seven in the fifth to roll to a 11-5 win credited to Greg Maddux. Maddux had yielded just an unearned run through five, but Brian Giles singled and Phil Nevin homered to leadoff the sixth. Maddux completed that frame and then was pulled having allowed three runs on eight hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. 

An interesting side note is that I posted this scoresheet to my old Baseball Scoresheets site circa about 2005 and didn’t really think about it again for fifteen years. Then one day I happened to see it being used by a poster on the BaseballScorecards subreddit. Sometimes people actually stumble across your obscure vanity sites. Someone may some day even stumble across this post. 

#402---DET @ CLE, 3/13/2004

The Tribe led this spring training game 2-1 on Casey Blake’s homer, then put together a three-run rally with two outs in the sixth against a bunch of Tigers pitchers that I would have to google to identify. 

#401---CLE @ DET, 3/1/2003

 

There were a lot of runs in this early spring training game, with the Indians getting three-run homers from Travis Hafner and Jhonny Peralta to power a 13-8 win. Their third base coach must have been easing into the season as well as they had two consecutive runners nailed at the plate in the fourth. Some fun names show up here (Eugene Kingsale and Hiram Bocachica), but Steve Avery’s sad comeback attempt with his hometown team is also on display (although he did make nineteen appearances out of the pen in the regular season to close his MLB career after not having appeared in any of the previous three seasons).