An inning too far
GAME FACTS OF THE DAY: Keytown Hitters 2 at Orioles 3, regular-season sixth-division game. Orioles won 14-9 in 5.5 innings.
MY ROLE OF THE DAY: Starting pitcher and hitting second in the line-up.
UNEXPECTED PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Our regular starting pitcher had to attend his parents’ wedding anniversary, so it was my turn today to lead our defense. Considering that I hadn’t pitched more than three innings in a game so far this year and had struggled quite badly pitching in relief in the last two games, and considering that we were playing a very experienced team today, success was hardly guaranteed. Nevertheless, we were still in the lead after four innings. In fact, the fourth inning was my best: three up, three down. However, …
A BRIDGE TOO FAR OF THE DAY: … things broke down in the fifth. The home team got a better handle on whatever I threw and managed to build quite a two-out rally. Without that frame, or with a bit more luck on our part, we would have had a good chance at victory.
PITCHERS DON’T HIT OF THE DAY: I had my second-worst game at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a walk. My average is now down to .333, and my on-base percentage is down to .600.
POOR SPORTSMANSHIP OF THE DAY: All throughout the first four innings, while they were behind in the score, the Orioles were being a bit of a nuisance. They kept picking on the umpire, on us and on each other. It wasn’t really adversarial, but not all that classy either. At the other end, we were still enjoying ourselves when we lost our lead in the fifth.