Your not implying that some Official Scores are "Homers" are you

 

Nahhhhh...cause that never happens! :lol2:

August 1, 1985 ? The most exciting play I?ve ever seen. Period. | Throatwarbler's Blog (obsolete)

 

Here’s the setup.

 

Vince Coleman leads off against the Cubs starter Scott Sanderson with a single. Willie McGee follows that with a walk. With Tommy Herr batting left handed against the right handed Sanderson, McGee and Coleman go on a double steal. This is such a low percentage play with the catcher having an unobstructed line of sight to the third baseman, but with Vince Coleman, rules of thumb were pretty much thrown out the window.

 

Coleman slides into third base Lou Brock style, meaning a late and very hard slide. He beats the throw but Cubs third baseman Ron Cey thinks he’s out and takes a couple of steps towards the shortstop, looking at the umpire. Coleman overslides the base pretty badly. When Cey realizes that Coleman is safe, but off the base, he starts moving to tag Coleman. Coleman reacts quickly and breaks for home, getting into a rundown. The idea here is that since Coleman is out, he can at least delay the play long enough for McGee to get to third base. That would have worked fine, except the Cubs forgot to cycle in another defender behind catcher Jody Davis. When Davis throws the ball back to Cey, there is nobody between Coleman and home plate. Coleman scoots home on the play, scoring the first run of the game. McGee never stopped running, so when Cey looked down all frustrated by their defensive blunder, McGee slides safely into third base behind him.

 

This gave the official scorer fits. How do you score this particular play ? There was no errant throw, nobody dropped the ball (literally, as Leon Durham should have covered home after the Davis throw) so while there was a mental error, in the baseball sense, no error can be given. The proper scoring is that Coleman stole two bases on the play. McGee is also credited with a clean steal of second base, with no play. Since he continued running while Coleman was in the rundown, McGee is also awarded a second stolen base for reaching third safely.

 

So there you have it. One pitch, four stolen bases. I’ve looked through a lot of baseball history and can find no record of this happening before, and it certainly hasn’t happened since.

 

Quite frankly, I forgot that Ron Cey spent a few seasons with the Cubs. Always remember him as a Dodger.

August 1, 1985 ? The most exciting play I?ve ever seen. Period. | Throatwarbler's Blog (obsolete)

 

Here’s the setup.

 

Vince Coleman leads off against the Cubs starter Scott Sanderson with a single. Willie McGee follows that with a walk. With Tommy Herr batting left handed against the right handed Sanderson, McGee and Coleman go on a double steal. This is such a low percentage play with the catcher having an unobstructed line of sight to the third baseman, but with Vince Coleman, rules of thumb were pretty much thrown out the window.

 

Coleman slides into third base Lou Brock style, meaning a late and very hard slide. He beats the throw but Cubs third baseman Ron Cey thinks he’s out and takes a couple of steps towards the shortstop, looking at the umpire. Coleman overslides the base pretty badly. When Cey realizes that Coleman is safe, but off the base, he starts moving to tag Coleman. Coleman reacts quickly and breaks for home, getting into a rundown. The idea here is that since Coleman is out, he can at least delay the play long enough for McGee to get to third base. That would have worked fine, except the Cubs forgot to cycle in another defender behind catcher Jody Davis. When Davis throws the ball back to Cey, there is nobody between Coleman and home plate. Coleman scoots home on the play, scoring the first run of the game. McGee never stopped running, so when Cey looked down all frustrated by their defensive blunder, McGee slides safely into third base behind him.

 

This gave the official scorer fits. How do you score this particular play ? There was no errant throw, nobody dropped the ball (literally, as Leon Durham should have covered home after the Davis throw) so while there was a mental error, in the baseball sense, no error can be given. The proper scoring is that Coleman stole two bases on the play. McGee is also credited with a clean steal of second base, with no play. Since he continued running while Coleman was in the rundown, McGee is also awarded a second stolen base for reaching third safely.

 

So there you have it. One pitch, four stolen bases. I’ve looked through a lot of baseball history and can find no record of this happening before, and it certainly hasn’t happened since.

 

Again, I've got no problem with giving Coleman the second steal...but it sounds like McGee simply advanced on the play. Seems like I've seen a similar situation happen all the time, where a runner gets in a pickle and the trailing runner advances. I just don't remember them giving him a stolen base in the process.

Without actually seeing it, it'd be hard for me to award McGee the 2nd SB. Seems like it'd be more a situation of advancing on the throw to home.

 

Just out of curiosity, was the game being played in St. Louis?

 

I think it is a SB. He essentially kept on going after he stole 3rd. Defense didn't throw the ball elsewhere to try to get another runner. Play never stopped. No errors.

 

It has to be a SB.

 

I would question how the 2nd stolen base was awarded to the runner on 1st.

I think it is a SB. He essentially kept on going after he stole 3rd. Defense didn't throw the ball elsewhere to try to get another runner. Play never stopped. No errors.

 

It has to be a SB.

 

I would question how the 2nd stolen base was awarded to the runner on 1st.

 

That's what I was thinking, but evidently not able to communicate in my post.

I think it is a SB. He essentially kept on going after he stole 3rd. Defense didn't throw the ball elsewhere to try to get another runner. Play never stopped. No errors.

 

It has to be a SB.

 

I would question how the 2nd stolen base was awarded to the runner on 1st.

 

It said because he never stopped.

Okay, I hope I am not the only old guy who remembers this. Kudos to the person who answers it. No shortcuts. What Reds' player was once nearly splattered by a huge sack of flour that mysteriously fell from the sky during the fifth inning of a game at Dodger Stadium. I remember listening to this game on my transistor radio. The flour, which would have killed the player if it had landed on him fell just a few feet in front of him. I swear I am not making this up. This game was played just a couple weeks after I attended my first Reds' game as a 9-year old.

 

Two hints:

 

1. I am old (almost 52).

2. The guy ended his career 713 homeruns behind Hank Aaron.

Okay, I hope I am not the only old guy who remembers this. Kudos to the person who answers it. No shortcuts. What Reds' player was once nearly splattered by a huge sack of flour that mysteriously fell from the sky during the fifth inning of a game at Dodger Stadium. I remember listening to this game on my transistor radio. The flour, which would have killed the player if it had landed on him fell just a few feet in front of him. I swear I am not making this up. This game was played just a couple weeks after I attended my first Reds' game as a 9-year old.

 

Two hints:

 

1. I am old (almost 52).

2. The guy ended his career 713 homeruns behind Hank Aaron.

 

So we're talking the 1971 season? I've never heard this story, but I'm going to guess Jimmy Stewart.

Okay' date=' I hope I am not the only old guy who remembers this. Kudos to the person who answers it. No shortcuts. What Reds' player was once nearly splattered by a huge sack of flour that mysteriously fell from the sky during the fifth inning of a game at Dodger Stadium. I remember listening to this game on my transistor radio. The flour, which would have killed the player if it had landed on him fell just a few feet in front of him. I swear I am not making this up. This game was played just a couple weeks after I attended my first Reds' game as a 9-year old. Two hints: 1. I am old (almost 52). 2. The guy ended his career 713 homeruns behind Hank Aaron.[/quote']

 

Woody Woodward?

Woody Woodward?

 

I looked it up after my guess, and you are correct. I believe we're about the same age Clyde, had you heard this story before?

I looked it up after my guess' date=' and you are correct. I believe we're about the same age Clyde, had you heard this story before?[/quote']

 

No.

 

Guessed a light-hitting player from that team.

So we're talking the 1971 season? I've never heard this story, but I'm going to guess Jimmy Stewart.

 

 

Jimmy Stewart was an outstanding guess. The light hitting Woodward was about 10ft from being sacked by the flour. I remember thinking that was the craziest thing I had ever heard.

Woody Woodward?

 

 

Superb.

Let's continue with some old school and some Hank... Aaron, that is.

 

1. Most baseball fans remember that Downing of the Dodgers gave up #715 but who gave up Aaron's tiebreaking #714 on Hank's first swing of the '74 season?

 

2. What infielder did Hank line out to in his very last All-Star game at bat?

 

3. Who held Hammerin' Hank hitless in five at bats in Aaron's first major league game?

 

Hint: All three answers share something in common.

Let's continue with some old school and some Hank... Aaron, that is.

 

1. Most baseball fans remember that Downing of the Dodgers gave up #715 but who gave up Aaron's tiebreaking #714 on Hank's first swing of the '74 season?

 

2. What infielder did Hank line out to in his very last All-Star game at bat?

 

3. Who held Hammerin' Hank hitless in five at bats in Aaron's first major league game?

 

Hint: All three answers share something in common.

 

All 3 were Cincinnnati Reds

1. Clay Carroll

2. Daley Concepcion

3. The ol Lefthander, Joe Nuxhall