Game 114, Mariners at A’s
Hernandez vs Anderson, 7:10 pm
Happy Felix Day.
I’ll be on with the guys at 1510 KGA at 5:15 pm, if you want to listen to me muse about Wak’s firing.
Two of my favorite pitchers square off for what should be a pretty good duel. Anderson’s still trying to get back to regular season form after a couple of DL trips, but when he’s right, he’s about as good as it gets, non-Lee-and-Halladay division.
Oh, and if you thought the line-ups were just because Wak was crazy, Daren Brown wants to let you know otherwise. See below:
Ichiro, RF
Figgins, 2B
Lopez, DH
Gutierrez, CF
Kotchman, 1B
Moore, C
Langerhans, LF
Tuiasosopo, 3B
Josh Wilson, SS
Littlesongs-
Are you dooming Smoak to an ugly death?
(Wally Pipp preceded Lou Gehrig at 1B)
This is quite a duel. Is Felix going to come out due to pitch count?
No, I would hope that he is even luckier than the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
I’m still puzzled about the round-the-horn triple play. To wit:
1. If the double-play is the pitcher’s best friend, what does that make the triple-play? And where the the pitcher’s dog rank in the pecking order?
2. What or where is the infield horn?
Thanks
Ethan-
Not if Felix has a say in it. (How sad is it to be 7-9 with a 2.8 ERA?)
Thank you baseball Gods for at least letting us have Felix.
I have my own puzzlements, Spiwak. Like why Felix is on a inning count for the year, not a pitch count. We’ve all seen the pitchers who can’t seem to go more than 5-6 innings before hitting 110 pitches and getting pulled.
So if Felix was one of those, they’d let him keep pitching?
@Dave Spiwak
The triple play is the pitcher’s friend with benefits.
As for the horn, well I like to believe its imaginary. Like a unicorn. =)
Plus, Brown doesn’t want to get in a shoving match with Felix in the dugout if he takes him out… That can be death to a manager.
Whoever said it before… There’s Lopey taking a belt high heater down the middle of the plate. Without a flinch.
It doesn’t matter where they put Lopez in the lineup, he always seems to have men on base to not drive in.
My nomination for the game thread comment of the year.
Praise the baseball gods! HE HIT THE BALL TO THE RIGHT!!
Figgy was terrible when this season mattered, but he’s shown pretty well over the last month. And now a hit-and-run that works from Lopez and Figgy!!
And the announcer at that day’s game is credited with making a “booty call”, when it happens.
Is that the first successful hit and run of Lopie’s career? Or was it just a coincidence with Figgy trying to get a jump on a double play grounder to third?
I think we already answered this one. A couple of times.
About time Loafie gets lifted for a pinch runner…
The Mariners have had 10 triple plays, and before yesterday, none in the last 15 years.
I think that says a couple of things, one of which is that in the early years the Mariners had lots of innings where the other team had 2 on and none out.
It also says that the triple plays I saw in the Kingdome were probably in the 1980’s. I don’t remember seeing the one in 1995 that they showed tonight.
Juneau Fan – Felix is on a innings count because we have the DA – ta dum (how can I do sound effects?)
What is this “pinch” thing you speak of– does this new manager have some new-fangled modern strategy we don’t know about? “Pinch runner?”
The DA is on the case…! Don’t blow this one, for Felix’s sake, PLEASE!!!
No amount of pinching can make the Loaf hustle…
(my two year old hit the return)
Oh no…if DA walks the leadoff guy it’s over…
Is it me, or are we all drunk?
Aardsma’s pants annoy me. Just throwing that out there
Pretty funny, MrZ, because in my little corner of the Intertubes (RIP, Uncle Ted) symbolizes a profound thoughts, such as the learned professor peaking his fingertips, or like your therapist does as he’s about to explain why you have an irrational fear of fish.
DA is less cringe-inducing when he’s not throwing all fastballs all the time.
Still, I never breath easy until the the 3rd out is in the books with DA on the mound.
@juneau_fan
Don’t worry, its not just you
I understand every bit of logic that says take Felix out and preserve his arm, long-term, but fuck it, I hate it. If you’re that concerned, take him out after 7, after the wild pitch. He excelled in the eighth. He was cruising towards a complete game shutout. What else to we have to cheer for?
Here is the all-time triple play list:
4/22/1977 vs. Cleveland
5/31/1980 at Cleveland
5/22/1981 vs. Texas
5/13/1986 at Milwaukee
8/12/1986 at Oakland
6/01/1991 at Texas
9/10/1991 at Toronto
8/30/1992 vs. Baltimore
7/13/1995 vs. Toronto
8/09/2010 vs. Oakland
Very weird. Two brackets must go wonky code on us in the posting window. No matter.
Aardsma’s pants bother me too, Ethan. There’s lots of bad pants on this team. I think it’s because we have nothing else to fixate on. And the players keep changing them around, looking for that ‘luck.’
Case closed…with a SPLITTER???
Well done Felix, well done D.A, more of this for 2011…
It seems like forever since the M’s won two in a row
The game is over and I’m still slightly worried they’re going to find a way to lose.
This is life as a Mariners fan.
2-0 in the Daren Brown era. Watch out Buck Showalter!
Thank heavens for Felix Hernandez and some timely hitting. (I just typed “timely hitting” without any sarcasm?! Huzzah!)
Awesome, awesome performance tonight, King…well done!!! 🙂
My favorite moment was when Guti called off Josh Wilson on that play in the ninth. I swear no one had called anyone off all year until then.
Dear Felix,
You are our hero!
Signed,
All Mariner fans on USS Mariner (I took the liberty of speaking for everyone)