If a guy gets the chance to get out to the ballpark a lot during the course of a baseball season, chances are that guy will see some anomalies every once in a while. Sometimes it's deviant behavior like a dude (or dudette) in his underwear dashing around on the outfield grass. Other times the notable event is a cycle or a no-hitter or something that borders on the historic.
And by historic we mean how it pertains to baseball and its string of seasons.
Eight years into the gig of watching baseball games and making up sentences about them, I'm into collecting the anomalies. It's kind of like baseball cards for the brain, but instead of pictures on cardboard, I have lines and symbols in a scorebook.
So far here's what I've gathered:
- I've seen a game decided when a pitcher named Jose Santiago missed the routine throw back to the mound from the catcher.
- I saw two cycles (David Bell and Brad Wilkerson).
- Incredibly, I saw a guy dressed as Thomas Jefferson take a header on the infield turf at RFK Stadium.
- One no-hitter... ever. And that's counting little league.
- I watched a stadium implode.
- I saw pitcher Robert Person smash two homers for seven RBIs in game against the Expos.
- I saw the Phillies play in the World Series (talk about an anomaly.)
- I saw a media dude fall down the dugout steps on his back and another writer work out mathematical equations to determine that the distances on the outfield fence were wrong.
There are other crazy things, too, though I'm saving those for the book. Meanwhile, I saw a new one at the Bank last night that was kind of lost in the shuffle of the big story of the Phillies' 10-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
How about a caught stealing that went 2-unassisted? Anyone ever see that one?
Here's what happened: Shane Victorino took off from first in attempt to steal second base only to find Jimmy Rollins standing on the bag. Apparently Victorino may have thought a sign was flashed for a double steal, which didn't seem to be a call that made much sense considering there were no outs and Chase Utley was up. No, I'm not one of those trendy stat heads that shudder at the thought of bunts and stolen bases, but sometimes with the Phillies' offense, the Earl Weaver approach to managing might be the best tact.
With two on and no outs and Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell due up, there's a better than average chance that the Phillies will score a run. I'm not basing that idea on any proven mathematical theory, but I'd say it is a pretty good hunch that the Phillies get something in that situation unless some sort of oddity occurs.
That's where Victorino came in sprinting toward second base with his head down and arms pumping. When he finally looked up and caught a glimpse of Rollins standing like a statue on second, Victorino quickly became a meek, cornered deer. First he lurched back to first, then changed direction, did a little juke move and then just gave up and stopped in his tracks.
That's when catcher Gregg Zaun, running with the ball in the infield lest an errant throw allowed Rollins to circle the bases, finally slapped a tag on Victorino.
There it was. CS-2U.
You stick around long enough and you get to see something new every day.
As far as three home runs in game goes - yeah, I've seen that. Actually, I think I've lost count on how many times I've seen three homers in a Major League game. I remember Andruw Jones doing it at the Vet in a meaningless September game during the 2002 season. I also seem to recall Mike Lowell doing it for the Marlins during the opening homestand at the Bank in 2004.
Ryan Howard did it in 2006 in a September game and of course Jayson Werth did it in last night's game.
But one thing I had never seen before was a guy picking up eight RBIs in one game. In fact, Jayson Werth was still three years away from behind born the last time a Phillie had eight RBIs in a game.
*** Hey... why don't you do yourself a favor and read Bob Ford's column from Pimlico? You can thank me for the suggestion later.