30 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

An honorable mention for me was the Cal Ripken statue game in 2012. It was against the Yankees... O's were nearing clinching... hit a homer in the 1st inning, place went ape shit. That was the second loudest I've heard it, the DY double being 1st. 

 

What was so special about it was it was the first time in the Showalter era that the stadium really rocked like that. Since then, we've been lucky to see it several times. 

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

- Tippy Martinez picking off 3 baserunners at 1st base in the 10th inning against the 1st Toronto Blue Jays in 1983 at home in Memorial Stadium. The Jays went ahead in the top of the 10th inning with a go ahead home run followed by a single. Joe Altobelli brought in Tippy Martinez and them Blue Jays just couldn't wait to run because Lenn Sakata was catching behind the plate. Boom, 1, 2, 3 put outs on pick-offs at 1st base (which is also a MLB record). BTW, Lenn Sakata, who had last caught behind plate was when he was in Pee Wee League, hit a game winning 3 run HR in the bottom of the 10th inning! 1983 was a very good year for Orioles fans...

 

I recently found Tom Boswell's 1983 game story from the Washington Post, which was great...  I know we're not supposed to post complete articles here, but since it's been 41 years I figure it's OK.

 

******

 

BALTIMORE, Aug. 24, 1983 -- In one of the most amazing, bizarre and spectacular games in this or any baseball season, the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-4, in the 10th inning in Memorial Stadium this evening before 25,882 witnesses who will tell their grandchildren about the doings in this park on a heroic, comic and altogether unbelievable night.

 

This classic of improbability and true grit ended when catcher Lenn Sakata--yes, catcher, Sakata--lined a three-run homer into the first row of the bleachers in left, fair by six feet, off Randy Moffitt.

 

But first, the Orioles had scored two runs after two were out in the ninth to tie, 3-3. They had entered that inning with just two hits off Toronto starter Jim Clancy, but, suddenly, their grounders found eyes.

 

John Shelby's bunt, Sakata's two-out walk, Bennie Ayala's chop through the middle and, finally, a fluke grounder by Al Bumbry that ticked off the glove of third baseman Garth Iorg for a game-tying RBI single sent this affair into extra innings.

 

After all their pinch-hit wheeling and dealing, the Orioles were forced to take the field in the 10th with second baseman Sakata, who hadn't put on catching equipment since he was 9, behind the plate. Normal left fielder John Lowenstein was at second base, a position he played briefly for the Cleveland Indians in 1975. Outfielder Gary Roenicke was at third, a spot he never before had inhabited in the majors. Bennie Ayala was put in left field, a position some say he has never played.

 

All that desperate shuffling seemed moot when Tim Stoddard--relieving Scott McGregor, who'd worked nine innings--watched his first pitch sail over the left field fence, a homer off the bat of Cliff Johnson and a 4-3 Toronto lead.

 

Then, the divine madness really began.

 

Barry Bonnell singled and Tippy Martinez came in to pitch.

 

Martinez picked him off first.

 

Speedster Dave Collins walked.

 

Martinez picked him off first.

 

Willie Upshaw beat out an infield hit to Lowenstein.

 

With the whole park screaming for Martinez to pick him off, Martinez picked him off.

 

Martinez had picked off the side. And he'd done it without throwing a pitch to the plate with a runner on base. The Blue Jays were so anxious to steal off Sakata that all three leaned the wrong way and were trapped.

 

"I know why you threw to first more than you threw to the plate," Lowenstein told him later. "Eddie (Murray) was the only guy in the infield you recognized."

 

For the bottom of the 10th, the first Oriole batter was Cal Ripken.

 

The sign in right said, "Happy birthday, Cal. We're glad you drank your milk. Now hit a home run on your birthday."

 

Ripken hit a home run.

 

A long, smoking liner of a home run into the Orioles' bullpen on the second pitch from Joey McLaughlin, tying the game, 4-4.

 

A researcher in the press box announced: "The Toronto Blue Jays have won 12 consecutive extra-inning games. Their last extra-inning defeat was on this date, Aug. 24th, one year ago in the 10th inning. The losing pitcher was McLaughlin." And the game-winning hitter was the Orioles' cacther that night, Joe Nolan.

 

Murray walked and took second as Lowenstein grounded to first. Shelby was intentionally walked and Moffitt came in to pitch.

 

Moffitt, tough against right-handed hitters, overpowered Roenicke and struck him out. Up stepped Sakata, the least likely of heros.

 

Just one night ago, Sakata made his first two errors of the season. "I didn't even want to come to the ballpark tonight," he said later. "Guys say they don't hear the boos, but they do. I do. It's tougher when you don't play much. You carry it with you longer."

 

Sakata will long remember his last swing of this game. His rising liner hugged the foul line throughout its journey as Sakata stood at the plate giving his best body english to keep the ball fair. "When I was running around the bases," he said, "I was thinking, 'I don't have to catch any more.' "

 

On Aug. 5, the Orioles got five consecutive hits with two out in the ninth to beat Chicgao. Last Friday, they got four consecutive hits off super reliever Dan Quisenberry, also with two out in the ninth, to beat Kansas City.

 

"I'll remember all three of those games forever," said Manager Joe Altobelli. "If this isn't what the doctor ordered, I don't know what is. These damn guys never say die. That's okay with me . . . I finally found out how these guys want to play."

 

Out of position?

 

"Out of sight," said Altobelli.

 

"Unbelievable," said Mike Flanagan. "Probably the best game I've ever seen . . . hey, we definitely had 'em confused."

 

"When I came in to catch, I was tight," said Sakata, "After the first pitch, I was even tighter . . . I didn't want to throw. I didn't want to give away my secret weapon, the one-hop throw to second . . . If one of 'em had stolen, I was gonna call time out . . . The last time I caught was in 1961. I couldn't throw anybody out then, either."

 

Sakata, the smallest and most modest of all Orioles, beamed in his moment of glory.

[Ravens2006]

"...I didn't want to give away my secret weapon, the one-hop throw to second... If one of 'em had stolen, I was gonna call time out . . . The last time I caught was in 1961. I couldn't throw anybody out then, either."

 

 

Awesome.

[Tranquil1]

Several moments for me:  

 

May 8, 1966 double header against Cleveland. Both teams were hot coming into that 4 game series. They split the first two then the O's smoked them in the DH 8-2 and 8-3. In the bottom of the first in the second game Frank hit the out of the park home run. I didn't see it because the ball blended in with the crowd when it got there. It was a no doubt about blast. Luis Tiant, the Indians pitcher had thrown 3 COMPLETE game shut outs to start the season! Frank's homer was the first two earned runs (Aparicio was on 3rd) Tiant gave up. 

 

Next Game 3 1970 WS. Brooks made an unbelievable catch diving to his left against Johnny Bench to end the 6th inning. I saw that one! I remember the crowd doing a collective gasp at the play. Brooks nonchalantly rolled the ball to the mound and the crowd in a delayed reaction erupted in a tremendous ovation. Brooks came up to bat in the bottom of the inning and again a tremendous ovation. Long and loud! He doubled and was on base when Dave McNally hit a grand slam sealing the outcome. Only pitcher is WS history to do so. 

 

Finally, I don't know how many might remember this one. In late July 1975 the O's played a DH at Milwaukee. They won the first game. Don't remember that one. I watched both games on TV. The second game was MOST memorable! The O's were down 6-0 going into the 9th and only had 4 hits up to then. The Brewers had added 2 in the bottom of the 8th to pad their lead to 6-0. The O's proceeded to score 6 runs with no outs to tie the game but couldn't add the 7th. I was watching that and was amazed at the comeback. Of course the Brewers didn't score in the bottom of the 9th. In the 10th the O's scored the go ahead run and Tommy Davis added a grand slam for the final 11-6 score. That has to be one of the best comebacks in Orioles history.

[mikezpen]

This game was back in (I believe) June, 1964) when the O's were down 7-2 to the Yankees at Memorial Stadium in the bottom of the eighth. I got there late and parked illegally so I could see the game.

 

We scored 7 runs with 2 out in the 8th before the wildest crowd I can remember to beat NY, 9-8. Maris homered in the 9th to make it a 1-run game.

 

I friend of mine who lived in California at the time(and not an O's fan) just happened to catch that inning and couldn't pull himself away. That game hooked him on the Orioles and left him and O's fan for life.

 

And I got nailed w/a huge parking ticket.

 

but who cared.

[Nigel Tufnel]

This game was back in (I believe) June, 1964) when the O's were down 7-2 to the Yankees at Memorial Stadium in the bottom of the eighth. I got there late and parked illegally so I could see the game.

 

We scored 7 runs with 2 out in the 8th before the wildest crowd I can remember to beat NY, 9-8. Maris homered in the 9th to make it a 1-run game.

 

I friend of mine who lived in California at the time(and not an O's fan) just happened to catch that inning and couldn't pull himself away. That game hooked him on the Orioles and left him and O's fan for life.

 

And I got nailed w/a huge parking ticket.

 

but who cared.

 

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles Box Score: June 23, 1964 | Baseball-Reference.com

[mikezpen]

Thanks!

 

I bought the game scorecard and scored that game. A couple of years ago, I gave it to the California guy.

[RShack]

This game was back in (I believe) June, 1964) when the O's were down 7-2 to the Yankees at Memorial Stadium in the bottom of the eighth. I got there late and parked illegally so I could see the game.

 

We scored 7 runs with 2 out in the 8th before the wildest crowd I can remember to beat NY, 9-8. Maris homered in the 9th to make it a 1-run game.

 

I friend of mine who lived in California at the time(and not an O's fan) just happened to catch that inning and couldn't pull himself away. That game hooked him on the Orioles and left him and O's fan for life.

 

And I got nailed w/a huge parking ticket.

 

but who cared.

 

There was a song about that comeback on the "Pennant Fever" album...  

 

EDIT: Skip to 4:37 on this:   (Warning: the whole album is corny beyond belief!   )

 

 

In that song they refer to the O's "June Swoon"... which was a bit of an unfortunate tradition in the previous few years... they'd start out hot then fade away in June when the MFY's would take over,   In '64 they cooled a bit at the end, but didn't have a losing Sept..... they didn't blow it as much as other teams got hot right at the end,  The MFY's played almost .800 ball in Sept, and the ChiSox played a bit better than the O's.  The O's were in 1st most of the season until the latter part of Sept.  We finished with 97 W's but 2 games out. So all we got was Brooks' MVP Award and a corny record album.

[85Knight]

This game was back in (I believe) June, 1964) when the O's were down 7-2 to the Yankees at Memorial Stadium in the bottom of the eighth. I got there late and parked illegally so I could see the game.

We scored 7 runs with 2 out in the 8th before the wildest crowd I can remember to beat NY, 9-8. Maris homered in the 9th to make it a 1-run game.

I friend of mine who lived in California at the time(and not an O's fan) just happened to catch that inning and couldn't pull himself away. That game hooked him on the Orioles and left him and O's fan for life.

And I got nailed w/a huge parking ticket.

but who cared.

What was that ticket in 1964, $5?

[jamesdean]

Thanks!
 
I bought the game scorecard and scored that game. A couple of years ago, I gave it to the California guy.

You got to see two Boog Powell homeruns. I think 1964 was probably his best year. If he hadn't gotten hurt during the season, he would have had a shot at 50 homeruns.

[mikezpen]

You got to see two Boog Powell homeruns. I think 1964 was probably his best year. If he hadn't gotten hurt during the season, he would have had a shot at 50 homeruns.

...and we mite have won the damn thing. O's finished only 2 games out.