#201---CHA @ CLE, 8/17/2016

Recently I posted #176, the greatest game I ever attended in person. This one, which occurred just two days prior, was one of the worst from a fan perspective. I was sitting in the right field lower deck seats at Jacobs Field, in the section in fair territory closest to the foul line. The Indians led 4-2 after three thanks largely to homers by Lonnie Chisenhall and Carlos Santana that hugged that foul line. The White Sox rallied for three off Carlos Carrasco in the fourth; the Indians took the lead back 7-5 with three over the next two frames.

It stayed that way until the top of the ninth, which started with Cody Allen fanning Justin Morneau on three pitches. Then Todd Frazier and JB Shuck had back-to-back infield singles (at least the latter was consolation, and Shuck had an earlier single as well). Then Tim Anderson walked and Dioner Navarro blooped a single down the left field line. 7-6, bases loaded, 1 out. Adam Eaton was down in the count 0-2 when he hit a high drive to right field near the line. It seemed to sail directly over my head (it didn’t) and hang up for ever. Grand slam.

The Indians got the tying runs to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but David Robertson retired the next two. Tough game that would quickly be forgotten.

#200---LA @ SD, 4/25/2015

Both teams scored three in the first, but the Dodgers added three more in the second and four in the fifth to take a 10-2 lead. All but one of those twelve runs were scored on homers as the Dodgers hit three two-run shots and one three-run shot, and the Padres hit a solo and a two-run. In the home sixth, San Diego pulled closer with four, including a three-run homer from Justin Upton the heels of his two-run homer in the first. The ball stayed in the park from that point and each team adding a single tally to make it an 11-8 final.

#199---PIT @ LA, 5/31/2014

The Dodgers torched Brandon Cumpton for big innings in the third and fourth to roll the Pirates 12-2. Hanley Ramirez had a huge game, going 4-4 with two longballs, four runs scored, and 5 RBI.

#198---STL @ CIN, 9/5/2013

The Reds scored a single run in six consecutive innings from the second through seventh to beat the Cardinals 6-2. St. Louis’ only runs also came in single tallies, as the teams combined for five solo homers including a pair from Todd Frazier. In his lone season in Cincinnati, Shin-Soo Choo had a big game as the leadoff hitter, with one of the other homers plus three times on base.

#197---CHA @ CHN, 5/19/2012

The South Siders led their crosstown rivals 7-0 before a pair of two-run homers in the bottom of the ninth made it more respectable. What I love about this scoresheet is Adam Dunn as he should be remembered – four walks and a home run.

#196---SF @ LA, 3/31/2011

Tim Lincecum v. Clayton Kershaw on opening day. Of course, at this point, the former was still the bigger name, but 2011 would flip it with Kershaw taking home his first Cy Young. On this day, they were pretty evenly matched, each going seven. Lincecum allowed one run, fanned five and walked three; Kershaw allowed none while fanning nine and walking one, so Lincecum was hung with the loss while Kershaw earned the win.

The Dodgers run off Lincecum came without the benefit of a hit. With one out Matt Kemp walked, James Loney grounded to short but Miguel Tejada threw away the throw to second. Juan Uribe was plunked, and then Buster Posey made a throwing error, allowing all Dodgers to take a base. Kemp would score the Dodgers second run when he walked to leadoff the eighth, stole second, and was driven in by James Loney. Pat Burrell took Jonathan Broxton deep in the ninth, but Brandon Belt closed his major league debut by lining to Uribe to end it.

#195---MIN @ CLE, 9/10/2010

Carl Pavano retired the last twelve Indians he faced; Fausto Carmona retired the last sixteen Twins he faced. Both tossed complete games, Pavano making 103 pitches while walking one and fanning three, Carmona making 108 while walking one and fanning seven. And look at the time of game – one hour, fifty-seven minutes.

#194---BAL @ KC, 5/14/2009

Following the games for which I’ve shown scoresheets on this blog, you can probably pinpoint the moment when MLB Network came into existence: this season, 2009, when suddenly there are scoresheets for random Orioles/Royals games. There’s not much of note in this scoresheet, as you might expect from a game between teams that would go 64-98 and 65-97 respectively. It could have had its biggest impact on draft position, except Baltimore won so it didn’t flip either team’s position in retrospect. It would have been a big deal if it had – Baltimore drafted third and nabbed Manny Machado, Kansas City was fourth and drafted Christian Colon.

#193---MIN @ CLE, 9/17/2008

Cliff Lee was fantastic in 2008, going 22-3 for a .500 team, but this was not one of his best performances. The Indians tied it at two in the fourth with solo shots from Jhonny Peralta and Travis Hafner and took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on Shin-Soo Choo’s two-run double. But Lee yielded hits to four of the first five Twins in the seventh, reknotting the game. Edward Mujica got out of the inning, then the Indians got back-to-back two-out doubles from Peralta and Victor Martinez to reclaim the lead 6-4. Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis made it hold up.

#192---CHA @ BOS, 7/21/2007

I don’t remember BoSox lefty Kason Gabbard, but he has a World Series ring for this season and probably remembers this day when he shut out the ChiSox for seven innings with just one strikeout. The Red Sox had built a 4-0 lead off John Danks through six, but blew it open in the seventh. With two outs and a runner at second, Ehren Wassermann intentionally passed Manny Ramirez then walked Kevin Youkilis. Boone Logan was summoned and walked JD Drew on four straight. Then another ill-remembered pitcher (at least by me), Dewon Day, walked Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek. Five straight walks, then back-to-back two run hits from Coco Crisp and Eric Hinske (who led off the inning as a pinch-hitter with a single and capped it with a triple).