What Happened To The Relievers?
Plus: Day In Review, May 29, 1949
What Happened To The Relievers?
If you remember yesterday’s post, the screenshot above should look familiar.
And, yeah, the lack of Athletics pitchers becomes important really quickly in this one.
Philadelphia had no choice. They stuck Joe Coleman out there, and hoped that he could last the entire game.
As fate would have it, of course, this was a thriller.
There was no score until the top of the 8th inning, when Elmer Valo put the Athletics on the board:
It’s never that simple, though. Bobby Brown came up with runners on first and second in the bottom of the same inning and got hold of one:
And that set the stage for extra innings.
Joe Coleman almost lost the game in the bottom of the 10th.
Yogi Berra came out with a runner on first and one out, and, well, Coleman just about lost it:
Berra then did his part to advance Henrich:
That brought up Phil Rizzuto, and I was ready for the scooter to send us scooting home:
I should note here that this is an excellent example of Diamond Mind Baseball’s superior play by play. Most games let you down in moments like this. I was on the edge of my seat.
And so we went into extra innings, with Coleman doing his best to hold on.
Philadelphia had a golden chance in the top of the 12th, with Wally Moses on first base and nobody out. I had Sam Chapman bunt:
And that brought up Pete Suder:
The Athletics went up by a 2-1 score, and somehow managed to survive.
Joe Coleman went the distance, throwing an incredible 178 pitches in the process. He didn’t pitch well, either, giving up 7 walks. He did manage to tally 10 strikeouts to go along with it, though — like a nice desert after a burnt meal. Still, it would have been nice to have somebody relieve him.
Please note that the computer manager was in charge of Philadelphia. I’m not the one who left Coleman in for 178 pitches.
The Yankees, meanwhile, need to win games like this if they want to be in the pennant picture.
Other Action
Red Sox 8, Senators 6: At Boston, the Red Sox and Senators manage to score a chunk of runs despite the wind blowing in. Watch the game here.
White Sox 2, Indians 1 (Game 1): At Cleveland, the White Sox spoil Cleveland’s dreams of moving into first place. It was close, but the White Sox were in control all the way. Watch the game here.
White Sox 3, Indians 2 (Game 2): At Cleveland, the surprising White Sox defeat the Indians easily for the second time in a row. Cleveland only managed 11 hits in both games of the doubleheader combined. Watch the game here.
Tigers 7, Browns 2: At Detroit, the Tigers crush the Browns.
Athletics 2, Yankees 1 (12): At New York, see above.
Dodgers 15, Braves 3: At Brooklyn, the Dodgers come alive with a barrage of home runs and hits, knocking Boston pitching all over the ballpark.
Reds 6, Cubs 1 (Game 1): At Chicago, the Reds make short work of the Cubs.
Cubs 4, Reds 3 (Game 2): At Chicago, the Cubs go up early and hold on to beat the Reds.
Phillies 2, Giants 1 (Game 1): At Philadelphia, Robin Roberts throws 154 pitches in a dominant complete game victory for the Phillies. Watch the game here.
Giants 9, Phillies 5 (Game 2): At Philadelphia, Bobby Thomson goes 5 for 5, scoring 3 runs and driving in 2 more as the Giants blow out the Phillies. Watch the game here.
Pirates 9, Cardinals 6: At St. Louis, Ralph Kiner homers twice and the surprising Pirates outlast the Cardinals. Here’s Kiner’s second homer:
Standings
The Giants are still on top and looking strong. Boston, meanwhile, is hoping to break free in the American League.
We just completed another Sunday, which means I’ll have full stats for you tomorrow.