On Saturday I watched one of the craziest baseball games ever. I'm actually quite surprised and the lack of discussion about this game -- maybe it's because the NBA playoffs were starting, maybe it's because it's only April, maybe because no one watched so it's not as compelling to read about or see some highlights of a bizarre 20-inning game between the Mets and Cardinals.
It may be the most interesting baseball game I ever watched. Now it wasn't the best played, and it wasn't the best managed, but there were some spectacular plays. I started watching in the 7th inning and watched through the end missing most of the Heat-Celtics game because of it.
Before I recap my experience, let me say that I think managing a baseball team is relatively easy, and that many managers make it too hard. This isn't like coaching football or basketball. You fill out a lineup card (easy), and then make some pitching changes (harder). The degree of difficulty is increased in the NL because of the pitcher batting.
Also, I do not think Tony LaRussa is a genius. To the contrary, I think he's a below-average manager who over-thinks almost every decision, and inserts himself into the game way too much.
On with the game. You can see the complete ESPN.com play-by-play here; otherwise I'm only going to talk about the insanity. Also, for kicks, check out Joe Posnanski's similar effort on SI.com. I saw this after I wrote mine, I promise.
Seventh Inning
I pick up the scoreless game in the bottom of the seventh. Johan Santana (7IP, 4H, 9K) and Jaime Garcia (7IP, 1H, 5K, no-hitter into the 6th) pitched great games. In this inning Santana strikes out two with a runner on second to end the threat.
Eight Inning
A little drama here. Ryan Ludwick walks with two outs, and then they pitch around Albert Pujols and put him on as well. Up comes very-well compensated Matt Holliday to do what he was brought to St. Louis to do: make teams pay for pitching around Pujols. He wiffs against Met reliever Ryota Igarashi. Holliday would go 0-for-5 with 3 Ks on the day before being lifted in the 11th in a double switch. He was playing the game with the flu.
10th Inning
The Cardinals load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning on a Schumaker walk, a Ludwick single, and a Pujols walk. Holliday fouls out to 1B. He looked sick in the two ABs I saw, and not the good sick.
11th Inning
In what will become a running theme, New York outfielder Angel Pagan becomes baserunning goat No. 1 by getting picked off first with two outs.
12th inning
This is where it gets really crazy. With two outs and Schumaker on first, Ludwick reaches on, of all things, catcher interference. For the second time in the game, Pujols is walked (semi-intentially) to load the bases with two outs. Holliday had been removed in a double switch, so due up was reliever Jason Motte, who had faced three batters in the top of the inning. At this point, LaRussa had back-up catcher Bryan Anderson, a 23-year-old rookie, as the only position player on the bench. He let Motte hit with the base loaded, a reliever with one career AB. He struck out. Anderson was a career 299/362/420 batter in 6 minor league seasons. Great hitter? Absolutely not. But better than the 99% chance of Motte striking out.
13th inning
So Motte starts his second inning of work and gets two quick fly outs. Then Rod Barajas singles. How slow is Barajas? Jerry Manuel sends in pinch runner John Maine -- a starting pitcher. So what does LaRussa do? Motte has now thrown 25 pitches (his highest total of the young season), but was working on two days rest. After letting him hit in the 12th, he pulls him to put in lefthander Dennys Reyes. The dude was playing match-ups in a scoreless game in the 12th! The move does work though; Pagan lines out.
And then LaRussa does it again the the bottom half. With one out and two strikes and Felipe Lopez batting, rookie infielder Allen Craig is throw out stealing second after Lopez strikes out. Apparently LaRussa is gunning for the longest game ever by giving away outs. Craig had was 13-for-17 stealing bases in 4 minor league seasons.
14th inning
In the bottom of the inning, Reyes retires two more batters (15 total pitches) and is removed. To be fair, Reyes usually faces 1-2 batters per game, in true LaRusa style. To also be fair, it's the 14th inning, and LaRussa has two relievers left. So of course he brings in righty Blake Hawksworth. Hawksworth gives up a single to Luis Castillo, and walks David Wright. The Mets are knocking on the door! Unfortunately the well-compensated Jason Day grounds into a fielders choice. Apparently this is not the day for overpaid LFs.
It is important to note that neither manager has used their 'best' reliever, as both closers will appear later in the game. I don't remember announcers Kenny Albers and Tim McCarver mentioning it, but Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez would warm up almost every inning after the ninth. So Manuel and the New York coaching staff are just as dumb as LaRussa. The both saved their best relievers so they could gun for meaningless statistics.
16th inning
In the top of the inning, Pagan leads off with a single against Hawksworth. Next up, Mike Jacobs, he of the career .313 OBP, who's know primarily as a guy with pop (32 HRs in 2008 with Florida). He is asked to bunt, of course, which would be his first successful sacrifice of his 6-year major league career, and probably his first ever. I was cursing Manuel at the moment he lays down the successful sacrifice, moving Pagan to third. Despite Jacobs' atrocious 2009 for Kansas City (228/297/401), he's still hit a HR about every 20 PAs during his career, and he hits righties OK. Defensible move? Only because it worked. In other news, Jacobs was designated for assignment the very next day. The bunt was all for nothing, as Jose Reyes grounds out, and Castillo stikes out.
In the bottom of the inning, LaRussa gets a shot of caffeine and decides to finally use his last position player to bat for Hawksworth with Ludwick on second and Pujols on first. Anderson then grounds into a DP to end the inning.
17th inning
Closer sighting! Ryan Franklin pitches an inning for the Cardinals. He only faces three batters because David Wright is throw out trying to steal second. At least Wright is a good base stealer, though Yadier Molina has a cannon.
18th inning
Infielder Felipe Lopez is on the mound for the Cards! Not sure why Franklin wasn't given a second inning. He threw 18 pitches in the 17th, but I'm not sure if he warmed up multiple times, and it was his second appearance in two days. No idea why Lopez was the choice, but he pitches a scoreless inning. It starts with Henry Blanco hitting a blooper to LF, and SS Brendan Ryan making a Willie Mays catch. Lopez almost pees his pants. I think he also may have broken 70 mph on the radar gun. The best part is the 'battle' between Lopez and Mets reliever Raul Valdes. It was an amazing contest with Valdes getting an infield single. Ryan's throw gets away from Pujols, but then Valdes is thrown out trying to get to second. Holy crap!
19th inning
Another inning, another position player pitching for St. Louis. Joe Mather pinch hit in the 10th, then played CF, then played 3B, and then moved to the mound. Lopez moved to 3B -- for his second stint on the hot corner. The good news? Mather breaks 80 on the gun. The bad news? He couldn't throw a strike. The better news? The Mets only score one run because Manuel's an idiot. After Reyes walks to start the inning, Castillo sacrifices. What? A sac bunt against a friggin' outfielder? What a joke. Then LaRussa trumps Manuel's stupidity by intentionally walking Wright. The guy can't buy a strike, but hey, let's put on some more baserunners. Of course, Mather than hits Jason Bay, which might have been bad, except the ball was moving 42 mph. Jeff Franceour (the one guy in the Mets lineup who would never walk) gets Reyes home on a SF. LaRussa then intentionally walks Blanco to get to pitcher Valdes, his second AB of the game, and he grounds out to Pujols.
But the Cards strike back in their half. On comes the infamous KRod, who had apparently been warming up for like 6 hours. According to this story, the dude had been up 10 times and thrown close to 100 warm-up pitches. Manuel was determined not to let LaRussa take the title of 'dumbest manager of the day.'
But, of course, LaRussa would not strike back. Ludwick would work a walk, and then up comes the mighty Pujols. So what does Ludwick do? He freakin' gets caught stealing! Who called for that? Even if it works, they walk Pujols at that point and Kyle Lohse (a freakin' pitcher) is on deck. Let Pujols hit you morons! He's the best hitter on the planet!
Pujols then doubles, of course, and advances to thirdon a Lohse ground out. Molina singles to tie the game, in what could have been the game winning hit.
Listen, I know I'm being rough on LaRussa/Ludwick, but come on. If they pitch to Pujols, you tie the game and there's no outs. If they walk Pujols, Lohse sacrifices and you've got two runners in scoring position with one out. LaRussa is not a genius, people. More like a jester.
20th inning
Mather is out for his second inning of torture...I mean, pitching. Again, the only run he gives up is on a SF by Reyes, scoring Pagan. My hat goes off to Lopez and Mather for keeping St. Louis in the game with 75-mph fastballs.
Starter Mike Pelfrey comes in to earn his first career save, but not without drama, as he allowed a single and a walk. Pelfrey had pitched two days before -- 106 pitches in 7 shutout innings against the Rockies to pick up a win. He threw 18 pitches to save Manuel further managing, which would only lead to humiliation.
I know that managing a 20-inning game is very difficult, and it will likely wreak havoc on these two rosters for weeks to come, especially the pitching staffs. I applaud LaRussa for putting position players on the mound instead of putting starters out there, which would have screwed up his rotation and possibly risked injury.
But overall, these two managers exposed their weaknesses in the worst way. Manuel has absolutely no idea what he's doing. His management of KRod was borderline criminal, and his love for the sacrifice and stolen base shows that he doesn't understand the value of an out, or the various skill sets of his players. Where's Earl Weaver?
LaRussa? He just tries too hard. but I'd rather have him than Manuel. Though his game management was highly questionable, and he also loves the sacrifice and the stolen base way too much, at least he did nothing to jeopardize the long-term prospects of his team.
Regardless, this game entertained me in a way that no other April baseball game ever has, and I even switched over to the Ubaldo Jiminez no-hitter (thank you MLB.TV) as well. What an awesome day of baseball.
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