#287---ARI @ CLE, 3/3/2021

2021 Spring Training games offer the opportunity for all manner of oddities. I already had an example of a schedule game of less than nine innings and the notation “IT” for “inning terminated” in #261, and this game features those examples as well. What it adds is Taylor Widener making two separate stints on the mound for Arizona without moving to another position in-between. I decided that the best way to handle this was to give him two separate pitching lines and note that the second stint was a “re-entry”. As for the game, the Indians committed four errors including two by former Gold Glover Roberto Perez in the third (“[CE2]” indicating a muffed foul pop that extended Leyba’s at bat). One of the highlights was listening to Tom Hamilton not even bother to try pronouncing “Querecuto”. 

#286---KC @ CLE, 7/26/2020

 

This bullpen game didn’t go great for the Royals, with Jose Ramirez’ two homers leading the Cleveland offense to nine runs. Carlos Carrasco fanned ten and walked one over six frames, allowing two runs. Oliver Perez and Dominic Leone each added two Ks, and Cam Hill one in his ML debut for a big total of fifteen.

#285---CLE @ KC, 4/4/2019

This is the kind of back and forth game that illustrates why I don’t think trading the convenience of seeing the whole game on one page for extra room on the scoresheet is worth it. The Indians got a leadoff homer from Leonys Martin and added two more in the first, but Corey Kluber didn’t have it, surrendering two homers in the second for four runs, and two more runs in the third, being knocked from the box after just 2 2/3 innings with 89 pitches and 5 walks. Cleveland trailed 8-5 going into the seventh, but scored three off Richard Lovelady to tie it. The Royals set the Tribe down 1-2-3 in the eighth and ninth, and in the home half Brad Hand was up 0-2 before walking Ryan O’Hearn. Pinch-runner Terrance Gore swiped second, took third on a throwing error, and came home on the next pitch went Hunter Dozier lined a single down the left field line.

#284---NYA @ TOR, 3/30/2018

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 4-2 behind a very efficient start from Masahiro Tanaka, who struck out eight, did not issue a walk, and allowed just a run on 79 pitches over six innings in his first start of the season. Aroldis Chapman got the save by striking out three in the ninth, albeit with two doubles sandwiched in.

New York’s offense came largely from unexpected names at the bottom of the order – all the RBI were accounted for by Brandon Drury and Tyler Wade, who each drove in a pair. 

#283---LA @ CHN, 4/10/2017

 

This was not my favorite baseball viewing experience, but it was early in the season and the only game I had access to that night so I soldiered through. It was the Cubs home opener, and there was various pageantry surrounding their 2016 World Series win that needed to be fulfilled (as an Indians fan I have to admit to being a tad bit annoyed by that), and then there was a long rain delay but the stupid ceremony proceeded before the game, because I guess the fans couldn’t be denied this. I’m sure the Dodgers, who had been beaten by the Cubs in the NLCS, found this even more irritating than I did.

Once the game started, it was a good one, with the Cubs taking a 2-0 lead after four but stranding six. The Dodgers pushed around single tallies in the sixth and eighth to tie it, also loading the bases with none out in the seventh but failing to score. In the ninth John Jay pinch-hit with a single off Sergio Romo and moved to second on a groundout. Kenley Jansen was summoned to face Kris Bryant, who he fanned with Jay swiping third. Anthony Rizzo lined a 1-1 pitch down the left field line for the winning single 

#282---CLE @ TEX, 4/1/2016

The Indians tuned up for the season with an exhibition at the Ballpark at Arlington by launching four homers and getting 6 2/3 innings with just one run allowed from Cody Anderson. As they would win the pennant, the homers kept coming to some extent, but quality pitching from Anderson did not.

You can see I kept this game with my modified version of LL Bean’s pictorial system, which I most often using when scoring off the radio and so unable to record precise (or phonily-precise as the case may be) batted ball locations. One thing the system doesn’t make easy to represent is a foul pop caught by the pitcher; I used my normal symbol indicating foul (`) in the center of the circle, but felt the need to make a note on the bottom of the page explaining what that symbol meant.

#281---ATL @ MIA, 4/7/2015

Mat Latos faced nine hitters in the first inning, seven of whom reached and eventually scored. Brad Hand came on in relief, allowing the first two hitters he faced to reach, but then settling in to retire thirteen of the final fourteen he faced. The Braves pinned another disaster inning on a top Marlin pitcher in the ninth, as Steve Cishek retired the first batter he faced and then allowed four straight to reach. Miami managed only two runs, clustered around Donovan Solano’s pinch-hit triple in the fifth. I was going to point out that this game features an Ichiro as a Marlin sighting, but had forgotten that he actually appeared in more games for the Marlins (432) than the Yankees (360). 

#280---NYA @ BOS, 4/24/2014

Yankee batters drew a whopping twelve walks, and every starter either drove in or scored a run. Mike Carp, first baseman turned pitcher, walked five in the ninth, including four in a row. Boston also managed six walks, three of which paired with a double and a Jeter error for their biggest inning in a three-run seventh, much of it coming off of Shane Greene (making his MLB debut). 

#279---TB @ BOS, 4/14/2013

Through seven, Clay Buchholz had needed 99 pitches to record eleven strikes with four walks and no hits allowed. But Dan Johnson singled to right on an 0-1 pitch to lead off the eighth, and Desmond Jennings doubled after a double play. It was still a brilliant outing for Buchholz, with Andrew Miller pitching the ninth. The BoSox got all they needed when the first five batters of the third reached against Alex Cobb, leading to a four-spot. 

#278---CLE @ SEA, 4/19/2012

Josh Tomlin was his efficient self, not walking a batter and needing just 96 pitches to get through eight; he allowed five hits, four of which were doubles, but kept the ball in Safeco Field and allowed just one run. Through seven King Felix had been better and flashier, yielding Cleveland just two hits and a walk while fanning nine, but the eighth was a little more interesting. After striking out Shelley Duncan, three straight hits (two of the infield variety) loaded the bases. Felix than fanned Jason Kipnis and Shin-Soo Choo swinging.

But having made 126 pitches, the King departed for Brandon League, and two walks and a single set up Jack Hannahan’s go ahead single to left, with pinch-runner Aaron Cunningham scoring the go-ahead run. Chris Perez needed just ten pitches to set down Seattle’s 3-4-5 of Suzuki-Smoak-Seager (Saunders was batting sixth for good measure), and a great Hernandez start went for naught.