Littlest Ball
Dave · August 1, 2008 at 10:09 pm · Filed Under Mariners
K Johjima reached on infield single to shortstop, A Beltre scored, J Clement to third, M Cairo to second. 10 1
J Reed singled to right, J Clement scored, M Cairo to third, K Johjima to second. 10 2
I Suzuki grounded out to first, M Cairo scored, K Johjima to third, J Reed to second. 10 3
W Bloomquist reached on infield single to shortstop, K Johjima scored, J Reed to third. 10 4
B LaHair reached on infield single to shortstop, J Reed scored, W Bloomquist to second. 10 5
Ground ball to shortstop, single to right, ground ball to first, ground ball to shortstop, ground ball to shortstop = five runs.
What?
And all M’s 15 hits tonight were singles!!!
So…hit the ball to Fahey at all times?
It’s August and Jose Vidro is still on the roster. He’s on pace for 487 at bats. And .3% of the people who play ESPN fantasy baseball are dumb.
The final tally was Orioles 16 hits, Mariners, 15, yet the final score was 10-5. I guess that shows the value of extra base hits. And not hitting into double plays.
Amazingly, though, despite all evidence to the contrary, the Orioles didn’t end up hitting a bunch of home runs before Washburn could get yanked.
This might be old news, but [deleted, off-topic]
There have been several games this year where it seems the M’s accumulated double digit hits without actually achieving an extra base. I’d say ‘odd’, but it really isn’t. A team built on putting the ball in play it apt to do this I suppose.
I had stopped listening to the game by about the 8th, so is anyone willing to explain to me how the M’s managed 3 infield hits to short in one inning? Did they somehow all hit extremely deep balls in the hole, was the scorer generous?
I own a book I bought at the Hall of Fame called Baseball Records Registry, which records interesting and odd feats in baseball history (e.g., when the M’s lost the game they led 14-2, I could quickly look up the only time that had happened before). 15 hits all singles is probably not enough for this game to make the record book, but the Orioles had ten runs scored by ten different players, which probably is.
Fahey double-clutched or dropped deep balls to short four times in two innings (the other was an Ichiro single in the eighth). They did all look like hits to me.
There was some scoring generosity involved, yes, one or two included some difficulty getting the throw off and could have been charged as errors for bobbling the ball.
The Mariners were playing Wee Willie Ball. All singles–WFB’s specialty. It’s kinda like have a chihuahua nipping at your ankles.
When it comes to manufacturing runs, the M’s take a cottage industry approach.
But still. Our firstbaseman and catcher both had infield singles in one inning? Wow. I guess there’s a reason SS is considered a premium defensive position.
I knew that was going to happen, but I’m still curious.
By that rationale then Ichiro would be a chihuahua too because he hits more singles than extra base hits. There’s nothing wrong with small ball as long as our hitters aren’t GIDP or constantly flying out. Yes, some extra base hits and RBI’s would be nice, but I’ll take hits any way and any day I can get them.
but I’ll take hits any way and any day I can get them.
“Small ball” works well when you’re the 1980’s Cardinals. Not when you’re the late-00’s Mariners. If you’re going to go that route you need team speed. Something of which the M’s have very, very little of.
With players like Turbo, this isn’t going to happen for a while. The M’s should have DFAed half the team already, but this season was a lost cause from the get-go. Let’s see what the next GM does for us…
And yet our right fielder didn’t. That, in itself, is a sign of the end times.
Speaking of which, can we sign Tommy Herr and Ozzie Smith? If I have to be stuck with a bunch of old geezers on the team, I might as well have entertaining ones to watch!
Methinks that Ichiro knew that no one would drive him home, so why bother getting on base in the first place? He does need to pick up the pace a little to get 200 hits in though.
I read somebody calling the Mariners Line up, “Pacifist’s Row”, the opposite of Murderer’s Row. Actually, the opposite of Murderer’s Row should be something like “Law Abiding Citizen’s Row”.
But maybe the nickname for the line up should be “Wee Willie”.