On an absolutely gorgeous second Sunday of the 45 CDMSBL baseball year at beautiful New Scotland Park, the recap to the Yankees-Black Sox game goes something like this:
Bottom of the first inning and following a lead-off, two-strike single by Mark Lennox, then a walk to the 2 hitter, Dave Booker roped a double just out of the reach of the Yankee RF. It plated 2 runs as the throw to home just missed the guy there and Dave also just barely made it to third as he continued to churn around the base paths while the play at the plate was made... So 3 batters into their line up and the Black Sox were up 2-0 with a runner on third and no outs. But then Darrin Ambridge did exactly what he does, he took care of business from there ~ with a little help from his fielders of course...
After striking out the clean up hitter, the number 5 man in the line-up hit a softish liner down the third base line where Mike Reutter made an outstanding jumping catch and easily doubled Dave off who was simply just caught in no man's land as would have happened to anyone in that situation... Anyways, inning and threat over!
As I don't have the book in front of me, I could be wrong, but I believe the only other hits Darrin allowed from there in yet another CG gem (2 for 2) were another clean, 2 strike single by Mark Lennox and Don Wixon's 2 out single in the 7th. Didn't K a lot of Sox in this one, nor anymore really spectacular plays beyond Reutter's in the first, just mostly solid defense and making the routine plays by the Yankee defense. Darrin makes it easy for us as there were not a lot of hard hit balls...
The Black Sox continued to lead 2-1 into the 5th as again, no book in front of me and I apologize profusely for this, but the Black Sox starter whose name I am remiss in knowing was obviously pitching an equally fine ball game considering how well he had handled the strong Yankee line-up though this point. And even here, if not for a little bad luck, the outcome might have been different.
After striking out the lead off hitter in the 5th, yours truly singled sharply up the middle thanks to one of my new R074 Rake bats. However, due to a fairly severe upper right quad strain caused from of course being 46 years old, but also from pitching a CG in the 35's earlier in the week and then restraining it running out one earlier in this game, John Sheehan came in to be a courtesy runner. A a heck of a courtesy runner he'd turn out to be too. First, despite new Yankee field boss Rick Caruso's absolutely torrid start at the plate (a continuation of his early season Vegas play), he swung and missed strike 3 (it happens to us all). And then with 2 outs, the explosion happened!
First John Kalinski hit a fly ball ball down the LF line which the left fielder had a difficult time with and it hit off his glove before rolling into the corner. John "The Big Loon" Sheehan chugged it hard and not-so-fast, shifting it into his top gear and scored the tying run all the way from first to give the Yankees some life! And following a walk to our always reliable, stud clean-up man Mike "The Grunter" Reutter, the BIG blow came in the form of a BIG FLY by one Gentleman Jack Griffin... His 3 run bomb was a no-doubter and easily cleared the fence in left center to put the Yankees up 5-2. from there, newly inducted Hall of Famer Donnie Dunham then continued his blistering early season start at the plate by driving in The Lexter (a GREAT new, stud addition to the Yankee line-up) and scoring another run to make it 7-2, and all with 2 outs...
Darrin took it from there and made it stand with relative ease as while Donnie Dunham was 3 for 4 (all 3 solid ropes too I might add) the game ball goes to one Gentleman Jack Griffin. And yeah, in a literal sense as he got his HR ball for the mantle, but he had also hit an opposite field double down the RF line earlier in the game and then ended the contest against a very solid Black Sox team by nailing Dandy Don Wixon attempting to stretch his single to left into a double...
Jack just turned 50 on Wednesday and while he has often been overlooked by many in the league due to his more quiet, genuinely humble nature ~ he has been one of the best players in the league for several years now and I have just been fortunate enough to play with him all of my time in the league... Time for him to get the recognition he deserves as he is a pure stud!
And now he has a ball to take home and show his equally lovely wife Linda as they ready to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in a few weeks... A true pleasure to play with him on every level...
Happy Birthday Jackster!
Total team effort as every player on the team contributed in a meaningful way to the outcome and yep, 2-0 with the also 2-0 Shasky's coming up on Saturday ~ should be a good one... Quad or no quad issue, see ya there!
-- Edited by Marcus Aurelius on Monday 6th of May 2013 07:48:47 AM
-- Edited by Marcus Aurelius on Monday 6th of May 2013 08:00:50 AM
-- Edited by Marcus Aurelius on Monday 6th of May 2013 10:06:46 AM
Happy to see you guys getting out of the gate fast. Congrats on putting together a good club. Should be an interesting year with you (yankees), Giants,Marlins and watch out for those pesky ROYALS!!!! Oh, have to mention the Reds, another talented club as well.
A rather accurate breakdown of the game Mark. The Yankees are a solid team, both with the bats and in the field. Win or lose they know how to celebrate. The Sox are playing under the radar, or is under the sonar? We will surface soon. Yeah, the Black Sox'x thought Wixon looked like a gazelle, one who had no front legs and the rear ones both broken. Carry on fellas, see you down the road.
