That Was Some Good Baseball
Forget chicks dig the longball. While avoiding the strong desire to go to bed, Amy watched the last five innings of the game with me and my mom last night and proclaimed “that was fun.”
Say what you want about the offense, but there’s something to be said for watching a bunch of terrific defensive players put on a show. We can officially stop calling Jack Hannahan a third baseman now – he’s just a really good defensive infielder, no matter where you stick him. Kotsay’s diving double play was something else. Ichiro’s throw. Johnson’s throw. Beltre charging the bunt.
For as much as we’ve been banging the drum for defense for years, I think everyone who watched last night’s game gets it. The pitching was good, but the defense stole the show. Run prevention – it’s not just about the guy on the mound.
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Didn’t get any action shots of the game itself – combo of cameraphone battery dying in later innings and well, actually being caught up in watching the game – but I’m glad I have photographic proof that I was there.
Best game I’ve been to all year, including being at the Ichiro-grand-slam game.
Amen, Dave — a superbly played game!
When you can think of at least four or five plays in a game which were highlight reel worthy, you know you’ve played some defense.
Yes. That was awesome. Stayed until the very end. I was hoping Sweeney or Hannahan would get a walk off for Irish Heritage night but I’m not complaining.
Took a friend of mine to her first ever Mariner game and she got a beer spilled on her (by the beer vendor no less), we saw that guy get hit in the nose with the baseball, and watched a guy play air guitar with his cane. So she got to see good baseball on a nice evening and experience a little Safeco character.
After the game we took a cab where the Sikh version of Merlin cheerfully drove us home while rocking out to some Bollywood rap.
Great night.
I was hoping Sweeney or Hannahan would get a walk off for Irish Heritage night but I’m not complaining.
It’s okay, otherwise they would have had to suffer the fate of Eric O’Flaherty.
Very excellent game, I am very excited that Hannahan is getting the time at short rather than whatever piss poor backup SS we could drum up.
I was at school last night and I kept getting texts about the awesome defensive plays last night. Luckily, the game went into extras and I was able to get home in time to catch the replays. Holy crap that was a great game! Beltre’s play and Ichiro’s gun were definitely my favorites.
We all know that Junior is as Irish as they come.
I thought it was funny how the team did not pummel Junior like they do everyone else on a game winning hit. Sometimes I watch that and think, someone is going to get hurt.
Tuesday’s game, while the outcome wasn’t as pleasant, had much of the same characteristics. If you just mentally figure out where Yuni would have been on Wilson’s plays, you can see how many runs were saved. Fister goes from someone with a wonderful debut into someone not ready for prime time, but none of it would have had anything to do with him.
Actually, while home runs are fun and all, I personally have come to very much appreciate nickel-and-diming the opposition – though I’m not sure if it’s more fun to creep up on a team and take the game, or if it’s more fun to see their faces when, say, Branyan hits a grand slam that there is no return from. Whatever the case, last night’s game was delightful.
It’s interesting to me that the M’s Wild Card chances are rated at 2.15%, while the Rays — one game ahead of the M’s — are at 21.55%, even though the M’s undoubtedly have an easier schedule the rest of the way. I assume that’s a factor of run differential.
The M’s poor run differential is a factor of being the type of team we saw last night — pitching, defense, and poor hitting. They get blown out a lot more often than they blow anbody else out.
I tend to think that makes their actual playoff chances a bit more than 2%, though obviously still small.
Me too. The Keystone Light “grandpa” commercial kept running through my mind:
“Are you crazy? He’s a 39 year old man!”
Hands down the best-played regular season game I’ve ever seen at Safeco Field.
I could watch the game video highlights all day if I didn’t have anything else to do.
Or since I’m short of time I’ll just watch Ichiro’s The Throw 2 video clip a couple more times.
Indeed, it seemed odd to me too, until I though about it a bit. As I understand it those odds are generated by projecting the needed wildward record based on current standings and then calculating how liking each of the “contending” teams is to reach that mark. Last time I checked the M’s (and their -45 net runs mark) had to go something like 38-20 down the stretch to get to the projected wildcard mark, hence the 2% chance.
Correction to game video highlights link above.
Well, we will just have to win every series for the rest of the season then.
Or, maybe that the folks doing the “ratings” are mostly on the East Coast and the M’s are simply playing in a region in that they don’t particularly like.
Defense stole the show? Quite an understatement, considering we had 14 innings of scoreless baseball. BTW: Ichiro’s running grab to end an inning near the RF tarp roll was pretty sweet, too.
Regardless, this was the first M’s game I attended this year (I was the guy giving Alex Rios a standing ovation in his first AB). Really glad it was a sensational game with a neat Disney ending.
Hud67 – I watched on TV so got to see the guys’ faces at the end. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling to see the guys chasing down Jr. after his walk-off. To me, it seemed that at first Griffey thought about running away, and he glanced over his shoulder for a look, but then he realized he was too slow. He sort of slowed down, tailing off into right field – with a huge, toothy grin on his face. The kids got there first, but, yeah, they were stroking the old man, not pummeling him. Maybe (?) they were tickling him instead of pounding him. Whatever it was, it was all very cool and I felt lucky to have seen it.
Wow, that game ended at what 2am for those of on the East Coast. I was just in Seattle last week so my sleep is still messed up, that was an exciting game to watch for sure! I jumped off my couch in disbelief when Jr drove that liner to right field. I was for sure it was going to go foul.
Easily the best game I have ever been to. I was prepared to stay however long it took. How many games do you get to go to where you see that many awesome things?
The atmosphere after was awesome. Everyone was high fiving in the concourse and just giddy over all the cool events of the evening.
Also – the wave FAILED to get started about three or four times. People were actually interested in the game. That made me very happy.
That’s not the reason at all. The Mariners are a game behind the Rays, but the Rays are projected to be a much better team.
When the Rays were in town, Matthew over at LookoutLanding did a series preview.
Mariners
HITTING (wOBA) -61.5 (27th)
FIELDING (UZR) 44.4 (2nd)
ROTATION (pRAA) -18.0 (23rd)
BULLPEN (pRAA) -23.0 (27th)
OVERALL(RAA) -58.1
Rays
HITTING (wOBA) 57.3 (3rd)
FIELDING (UZR) 38.8 (3rd)
ROTATION (pRAA) -15.9 (22nd)
BULLPEN (pRAA) 3.1 (10th)
OVERALL(RAA) 83.3
The deficit in Runs For and Runs Against is a killer in the projections for us. Last week, I looked at 4 different playoff probability charts, coolstandings.com, and three at baseballprospectus.com. None of them gave the Mariners as much as a 7% chance.
I’d be interested in finding out where this game ranks in terms of fastest 14 inning games of all time. It seems to me that this could be one of the shortest.
I was actually impressed with a couple of the plays Lopez made and I could swear that since Yuni was traded Jose has been a better second baseman and since the arrival of Jack Wilson his defense has stepped up even another notch.
The pick-off at 3rd was my favorite. Sharp throw.
Tackle…..Tag…and then a moment or two later, Podsednik meekly reaches for the bag.
I wonder if Beltre were to play american football, …. linebacker?
The Rally Jig was quite amusing, I must say. But the announcement of the 14th inning stretch was what really slayed me.
Just an excellent example of a low scoring game being very exciting to watch. People always give me weird looks when I talk about exciting low scoring games (must be because I’m a soccer nut). I thoroughly enjoyed all 14 innings, which is a marked departure from last year.
I think people mistakenly equate less runs with less stuff happening. Very few low scoring games are nothing but 3 up and 3 down routine innings.
Last night was probably one of the most action packed 0-0 for 13 innings game you will ever see, it seemed like there were scoring opportunities for at least 1 team every inning with great D and pitching shutting them down time and time again.
I like the rally jig, myself, especially over the alternative– the movie clips that have epic fail all over them.
Wasn’t there a fair amount of jigging anyway, with Irish Heritage night?
Yep. Most people will look at a box score and say something along the lines of “Wow, none of the hitters are clutch”, which yes, in some situations last night, is true, but for the most part it was great defense.
I wonder if Beltre were to play american football, …. linebacker?
Middle linebacker on defense, a bruiser of a fullback on offense.
Whatever he plays, he’s going to have to protect himself better.
Beltre’s just been put on the DL with a torn testicle. If surgery’s required (they’ll know within 48 hours) he’s out a month. This all came from a series of tweets from Shannon Drayer. Josh Wilson’s been called up to play short and Hannahands goes back to 3rd.
Jack Wilson’s got a grade 1 hammy tear. Day-to-day. Also from Drayer.
Even if Beltre refused to admit it, you knew it had to happen one day.
dammit Beltre! just put it on!
I couldn’t believe how many times Sweeney got to hit in the game last night… With the echoes of the USSM posts in the morning, I was screaming at the TV for…
Sweeney to bunt in the 7th (yes, I play for 1 here, even if they may walk Beltre)
Sweeney to be pinch hit for in the bottom of the 8th.
I mean by the 11th, or the 14th, isn’t it OBVIOUS yet?
I did feel some sort of vindication that a pinch hitter won the game.
Fun night.
Low-scoring games are the bomb. One of the best games I ever saw was a 2-hitter that Dwight Gooden threw against the Dodgers. Edge of my seat all night.
Beltre is the toughest man in baseball, bar none. Playing 5 1/2 innings with a torn testicle. I saw him wince when he got hit in the balls when he fielded that grounder in the ninth and made an error on the throw. They ruled it a hit and an error on the throw to allow the runner to go to second.
Holy crossed legs Batman. Beltre kept playing… and scored the winning run.
AND Beltre did the postgame FSN interview.
AM: “So what were you thinking as you crossed the plate with the winning run?”
AB: “You really really don’t want to know.”
This injury sucks profoundly.
On the “chicks dig the long ball” tip…
I received a text from my wife at 11pm stating “HE CAME THROUGH!!!!!!!” To this day, it is my favorite text ever. I love having a significant other that is nearly as huge a fan as I am.
Chicks do dig the longball, mostly. Dave just managed to find and marry one who is several Wins Above Replacement.