Every time
we go to a baseball game, we know that just about anything can happen. One thing that’s pretty predictable about an
Angel game is that we are usually the last game to end on any given night. It’s
uncanny the way that happens, but with the out-of-town scoreboard right in
front of us, I track this phenomena on most nights.
Saturday was
no exception and history was even made.
Not the kind
of history that you might want to participate in, but history
never-the-less. The Angels played and
won (thankfully) their longest home game in actual time played in the history
of the organization.
The game
last six hours and 31 minutes. Paid attendance
for the night was 41, 159. By game’s
end? Your guess is as good as mine, but
a fair amount actually stayed. I mean,
it was Saturday night….
Over the
course of 19 innings 558 pitches were thrown by 18 pitches (9 for each team);
347 of them for strikes. Of the 347 each
team looked at 54 strikes each (108 total) without swinging. I find it curious that batters looked at
strikes 31% of the time they were thrown. There were 32
strike outs, and 11 walks. Nothing
spectacular for sure.
Highlights
of the evening? Well, there is the
walk-off homerun by Albert Pujols. I
believe his first as an Angel. I was beginning to think I’d never see one of
those from him.
The nice
thing about the six+ hours was that we got to spend it with some former season
ticket holders (John and Linda and John and Ann) who bought some tickets from us. As the game went on (and on), I joked that
the Angels were making innings up to them for all the games they missed this
year. As we passed the 18 inning mark
Linda’s husband – John remarked…. “We’re going to owe James for an extra game."
It was
long. It was exhausting, but it was fun. That being said, I hope I don’t ever do it
again. Talk about the dog days of summer...
I’ve never
been to a doubleheader; although, Cheryl and I have been to two games in one
day. It was May 27, 2006. Cheryl and I had gone to Petco Park to see
the Padres and Cardinals. We made the
trip specifically to see David Eckstein. When that game ended – we rushed back
to Anaheim to see Jered Weaver make his major league debut.
That was a
long day, but Saturday night was much longer.
Those two games in 2006 combined for five hours and 19 minutes more than
an hour and 12 minutes less than the 19 inning marathon Saturday night.
Fun facts about
the date in 2006 compared to Saturday night…
Albert’s homerun was the 514th of this career. We happened to be sitting in section 514.
Albert’s homerun was the 514th of this career. We happened to be sitting in section 514.
There are
three players that we saw on that day in 2006 and also happened to be a part of
Saturday night… Albert Pujols (playing in SD for the Cardinals) and in the
Angel game there was Erik Aybar who came in late in the game for Orlando
Cabrera and Mike Napoli who was catching for the Angels.
Dale Scott
(umpire) also happened to be part of the crew in Anaheim in 2006 and again
Saturday night.
It’s funny
how a 19 game inning game unfolds. As
the game goes longer and longer, you really feel anxious about the
outcome. When you spend that much time
invested in an even – your team had better win.
I still have horrible memories of a Sunday afternoon game at Angels
Stadium with the Cubs.
The Angels
lost that game 6-5 in 15 innings; a 5 hour and 8 minute affair in the heat of
the day back on June 13, 2004. It was
agonizing and made all the worse by the loss.
Over the
course of 19 innings, you might run out of food and drink. You fear leaving your seat for the restroom
because you might miss something that could end the game. Which probably isn’t an issue if you have run
out of food and drink…
You hear the
crowd boo when the Angels announce that due to city ordinances and out of “courtesy”
to their neighbors, there will be no post game fireworks. At which point you hope for in-game fireworks
from your own team.
You get to
sing “Take me out to the ball game” again in the 14th inning, but
thankfully - you don’t hear “Buttercup” again.
You wonder who’s
going to pitch if either team runs out of pitchers and then you realize that
every position player (at least for the Angels) has already been in the
game. You look down into the
broadcast booth and jokingly ask out loud if Mark Gubicza or Mark Langston is going to get the
call next.
You start to
worry about the drive home because bad things usually happen in the wee hours
of Sunday mornings after Saturday night festivities and that’s no joke.
You start to
wonder if you’ll make it for the 12:35 p.m. game that starts about 12 hours
after the game you’re watching ends (yes, we made it back) and question the sanity
of even considering such a thing.
You wonder
if it’s too late to text your wife’s cousin who is a Red Sox fan and lives in
New Jersey who was unable to watch the game on television and would surely appreciate
an update (no, I didn’t text cousin Larry).
You notice
that many of the ushers have gone home and guess the Angels just didn’t want to
pay them overtime.
As you leave
the stadium – the ushers say “good morning” instead of good-night. Yup, everyone has a sense of humor when it’s
late... I mean early.
You embrace
the quietness of the crowd leaving the stadium; knowing full well that if the
Red Sox had won, you’d be hearing them singing (badly) “Sweet Caroline” as they
stumbled to their cars.
You notice
that the moon is about to be full and you say to yourself… “It all makes sense
now” – strange things happen when the moon is full.
You hear Terry Smith tell us via the radio that there’s no
post game Angel talk for the ride home. Which means no one is phoning in
calling for Scioscia’s head for at least one night and that’s a good thing
because again – the moon is full and that brings out the crazies.
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