OCTOBER BASEBALL: FALL'S FINEST

My sad baseball team has been sad enough for so long that I haven’t watched many games this season. The playoffs are another matter. Everything is heightened, suspenseful and given purpose by rooting against the Yankees (in their absence now the Red Sox and Astros).

I don’t need to get too deep into the merits of the game. Roger Angell does it best. His old books “The Summer Game” and “Five Seasons” are some of the best writing on any sport. And the best writing on anything, for that matter. Instead, I thought I would share one of the longest emails I’ve ever sent. It was to my father after a regular season game in 2015. I think it captures some of the spirit of the sport we both love.

Dear Dad,

Taking a night off socializing—which you must be doing as well since you're at Pine Lake. I just watched a 20 inning baseball game straight through—7 hours. I could have flown to London in that time if you could land the plane beneath the ash. This game was remarkable—it was scoreless after 18 innings. At that point they brought position players in to pitch.

So the shortstop is pitching, a starting pitcher is playing left field and a pitcher is batting. It's chaos. The crowd is going crazy every time he throws a strike, and he's a sweet player who smiles shyly when he gets an out. In the dugout all his teammates are laughing hysterically and Tony LaRussa is scowling and Tim McCarver declares we're in uncharted territory.

In fact, the pitcher who's batting is up against the player who hit a grand slam off him the night before. Imagine that: a relief pitcher batting against a position player who hit a game winning home run off him the night before.

The pitcher in the outfield has no idea where to stand, he keeps looking into the dugout for instruction, and then he makes two good plays. The shortstop has to be reminded to pitch from the stretch when somebody gets on so he doesn't commit a balk. Every time he throws a strike the crowd (what remains of the crowd) goes wild. He's throwing the ball about 80 miles an hour.

The Mets finally score in the top of the 19th. They bring in their closer. Naturally he gives up a run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 19th. Tie game 1-1.

They go to the 20th. The Cardinals bring in another position player. He can't throw strikes and the Mets score again. It's 2-1.

Now the Mets bring in a starter in the bottom of the 20th. He manages to get the save.
So the closer gets the win and a starter gets the save. Is that possible?

I read about 150 pages during the game.

Looking forward to your arrival.

All good things,