Fun With Box Scores

Or, "how your left fielder becomes a catcher."  Maybe we should all carry three catchers like the DC Chips.

Earlier this season, the Sparta Hoplites found themselves in an awkward situation where they needed a catcher and had absolutely no one available for the role

Bob O'Farrell started behind the plate in their 3-2, 12 inning loss to the DC Chips (karma?).  With the game tied at two in the 7th, King Leonidas sent in the lefty Nick Johnson to face Dennis Eckersley.  The move had little effect in the game, but served as a warning to owners everywhere.

Johnson lined out to center for the second out, but the move put Chris Hoiles, the last catcher on the Hoplite bench, into the game with two innings to go.  As it turned it out, Hoiles actually provided three innings but the Hoplites ultimately needed five.

In the bottom of the 10th Hoiles was ejected from the game arguing called strikes.  Eckersley was in cruise control, with Hoiles being the second strike out victim in a beautiful run that saw the rightly strike out 7 of 9 batters in all.  Hoiles fouled off the first pitch and watched the next two bullets hit the corners for called strikes.  He argued, must  have said the magic word, and was unceremoniously tossed from the contest.

With the game knotted at two's, Leonidas turned to the left fielder Al Wingo who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the top of that same inning.  Wingo did more than hold his own, throwing out Lip Pike trying to take second and making a nifty through to first after dropping a swinging third strike past Deacon White.  It worked out fine, but just as easily could have been a disaster.

Gotta love box scores, truly one of magics of baseball no other sport can compete with.  Just ask Tim Kurkjian.