So, last night I learned a valuable lesson: Don't #@$! with the Baseball Gods.Any superstitious soul knows it's unwise to talk about a perfect game or a no-hitter with the pitcher while it is actually happening. Nothing angers the Deities of the Diamond like assuming that your favorite player or team has earned their favor and is currently being elevated to divine status as a result.
Case in point: my blog yesterday boasted how well the Diamondbacks had played in my presence this season. It was ample fodder for the Mighty Ones to prove a point to me. True, they may have favored me in the past, but my simple mention of that fact was enough to incite them to put me back in my proper place.
The same Diamondbacks who had not given up any earned runs in the full three games I watched live this year gave up six total runs (only half were earned) and were beaten in every aspect of the game last night... handily.
It didn't start off that way, though. Arizona starting pitcher Jon Garland pitched an impressive first three innings, giving up only one walk and no hits to the first ten batters. I found myself wondering if the magic could happen one more time.
Meanwhile, the D-Backs managed to draw walks and hits like crazy. They had two baserunners on in the first, three in the second and two in the third.
Unfortunately, they just couldn't manage to score any runs in those situations. At one point, they had the Phillies' starter Jamie Moyer on the ropes. He faced the worst situation a pitcher can face: bases loaded with no outs. He got out of it without giving up a single run. Strikeout. Double play. Groan.
Then, the momentum changed in a flash. Moyer found his control again and Ryan Howard found the centerfield fence by blistering a monster shot that gave the Phillies a 2 to 0 lead. Prior to that hit, I knew the D-Backs had blown the game already. They had every advantage working for them early and didn't... well, take advantage of it.
Naturally, they soon unraveled after that. They committed two sloppy errors. Second baseman Ryan Roberts also bobbled a potential double-play ball that would have ended an inning, but instead, allowed a run to score on the play.
The D-Backs also stranded eleven baserunners altogether. The Phillies were up 6 to 0 before Arizona scored a pair of meaningless runs in the bottom of the eighth. However, the outcome of the game was never in question.
The D-Backs outhit the Phils 9 to 6, but the Liberty Bell Bombers played smarter baseball. They are the champions and they showed why last night. They also proved to me that it is much wiser to keep your mouth shut if you actually think the Baseball Gods are showing you any kindness at all.
Still, it was a fun night at the air-conditioned ballpark. Next time I will simply wait until AFTER THE GAME to discuss the divine actions of the Baseball Gods rather than risk their wrath once again. After all, their vengeance hits harder than Ryan Howard's bat, and believe me, that is saying a lot.
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2 comments:
Since only three of the runs were earned, the D-Backs still have an ERA of 0.75 in games personally attended by you, which is not too shabby.
Now I am an agnostic when it comes to baseball gods, but I do believe that baseball is brutally governed by numbers, which in your case is not a good thing, or at least not a good thing for the D-Backs in any future games you might attend, since that .75 ERA is well below the team’s overall ERA of 4.35. D-Back opponents in games personally attended by you have a deficiency of 14.4 earned runs which, under the brutal governance of numbers, would likely be made up in future games attended personally by you.
So let’s say you go to three more games. Opponents would have to score 27 runs in those games to make the overall ERA in games personally attended by you match the overall D-Backs ERA.
That’s an average of nine earned runs per game. Adding to that would whatever contributions the D-Backs make on defense to their opponents’ run total. Based on what I saw last night, that contribution could be significant.
Wow. Excellent insight. I realized by your comment that I implied that the D-Backs gave up six earned runs when I just meant they gave up six runs. But, you're right. They do give up less earned runs when I watch and the numbers should catch up eventually. (Although, maybe I'm making up for last year when I witnessed the hapless Kansas City Royals beat the D-Backs 15 to 2. That was painful.)
Anyway, you watched that game... so you know that it looked like a long night for Jamie and a feast for the D-Backs hitters early. But, then Ryan Howard batted for the second time and crushed the spirit of Arizona with one swing. Then Arizona suddenly remembered who they are this season and started playing down to that potential. Groan.
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