Wow, that was some ball game yesterday! [Sat., Oct. 8]
I am referring of course to the Mariners’ improbable
come-from-behind victory in Toronto that eliminated the Blue Jays and sent the
Ms to the next round of the play-offs.
From my standpoint, it doesn’t rate as a “great” or even a
“good” baseball game. It was just
unbelievable, i.e., literally hard to believe, an outlier. I’ve watched a lot
of baseball games, (God help me), but I’ve never seen one quite like that.
Not that I watched the whole thing. In fact, I wonder how many Mariners fans,
aside from those who were stuck at the “watch party”[i]
at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, actually watched the whole game, beginning to end. The Ms’ starter, Robbie Ray, had a wretched
outing, falling behind 4-0 in the early going.
At that point, recalling the previous day’s 4-0 victory by Seattle [ii],
I remarked to my wife, “Well, the old saying ‘Turnabout is fair play’ comes to
mind.
The procession of Mariner’s relief pitchers, alas, provided no
relief. The disaster culminated in the
fifth inning when pudgy right-hander Diego Castillo hit Whit Merrifield in the
head with an errant slider. Fortunately,
Merrifield’s helmet did its job and he appeared to be OK. But the Mariners were not OK. The score stood at 8-1. While the game timed-out as the aggrieved
batter dusted himself off, the TV announcers lightheartedly debated the
technical definitions of “beanball,” eventually agreeing that yes, that’s
exactly what it was.
 |
| Merrifield considering his options after getting beaned by Diego Castillo. Ms' catcher Cal Raleigh keeps a wary eye on Merrifield. His job is to prevent the riled batter from charging the mound and threatening his pitcher. |
Game over. That’s
what we all thought: Mariners, Blue
Jays, TV announcers, fans of both teams.
I turned off the TV, and I’d be willing to bet that thousands of other Ms
fans did too, or maybe switched to one of the many college football games.
“Well, they get to play again tomorrow,” I remarked to my
wife, expecting a third and deciding game today, Sunday.
It being a very nice early fall day, we decided to go out
for a walk. I quickly flushed the game
from my mind. When we got back home,
thinking the game was (mercifully) over, I switched on the TV. I was just curious to know the final score. But oh, no, it was not
over. I saw the score right away: 9-6.
Not only that, but the Mariners had loaded the bases with two outs. Right away I thought, along with millions of
viewers: Jeez, if this guy gets a hit,
then…
This guy, the one with the bat, was J. P. Crawford, Mariners
shortstop, left-handed batter, not known for his power. But he didn’t need power in this situation,
just to hit the ball somewhere in a good place, “where they ain’t,” in
old-fashioned parlance. As it turned
out, the ball went exactly where it needed to go.
Crawford lobbed a soft high blooper into shallow
left-center. It stayed in the air
exactly long enough for three Toronto fielders to start running toward it, long
enough for millions to mutter under their breath: “Oh, Jeez, that could be
trouble.”
And trouble it was indeed for the Blue Jays. Center-fielder Springer, racing in, and
shortstop Bichette, racing out, both with their eyes on the ball and not on each
other, collided. The ball dropped between
them and just lay there on the grass while all three Mariners baserunners
scampered home. TV cameras zoomed in, revealing
every stitch on the motionless baseball.
In those few interminable seconds, every Toronto fan came perforce to
grips with what had come to pass: Their
game had slipped away. It was still
tied, but, with that stroke of evil fortune, few believed that the Jays could
still win it.
Eventually, the left fielder picked up the ball and tossed
it in. As the game timed out, Bichette picked himself
off the grass, in the first stages of regret that will probably haunt him for the
rest of his life. That was Springer’s play
to make. If Bichette had given way, stayed in the infield where he belonged, Springer
could very well have made the catch.[iii] Inning over, disaster averted. The very worst that could
happen would be for the ball to plop in front of Springer where he could field
it and toss it in. Two runs at most would
have scored and the Blue Jays would still have had the lead. But alas, from the Blue Jays’ perspective, much
worse than the worst did happen.
Springer was hurt worse, knocked in the head by Bichette’s
arm, and it was several minutes before he could, with help. rise to his feet. Coming to his senses, he felt the additional
agony of knowing the game had been blown.
A golf cart came to take him off the field. He
waved weakly to the fans, probably wondering if he’d ever have the heart to
take the field again.
In case you didn’t see it live or watch the highlights, you can
find the video clip at (426)
George Springer Carted-Off Field after Collision with Bo Bichette! | Mariners
Vs Blue Jays Game 2 | - YouTube
After the game, Crawford said, “I was praying to the
baseball gods for it just to find a hole, any hole.” I, for one, found his paganistic perspective
refreshing, and it brings us to the recondite topic of baseball theology. It should be obvious to everyone that the capital
G God of Christianity, Judaism and Islam had nothing to do with that game. A God of Justice and Mercy would never have
allowed that blooper to drop between the Blue Jay fielders. A Righteous God would have preserved
Toronto’s victory. They had earned it by
their superior play in the early innings.
So it was not God, but the gods of baseball, who had their say, capricious
and cruel as the Olympians of ancient Greece.
The ninth inning turned out just as the Blue Jays feared and
everyone else pretty much expected. In
the top half, the Mariners got their 10th run on doubles by Raleigh
and Frazier. Rookie righty George Kirby, normally a
starter, was brought in to pitch the bottom half. I didn’t want to watch, but Emily talked me
into it. Aside from one walk, which made
me very nervous indeed, young Kirby calmly and efficiently closed it out. Mariners 10, Blue Jays 9.
My empathy as a sports fan is fairly limited. I don’t
usually spend much time feeling sorry for the other team when my team
wins. But this game was an exception. The Blue Jays, their fans, and the whole
nation of Canada deserved a better fate.
But that is not what the gods of baseball decided. Instead, the Mariners move on to a best-of-five
series with the Houston Astros. Let's
hope the gods are still on the Ms’ side!
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