In a game started by Noah Lowry and Tim Hudson, Fort Worth had a 4-3 lead in the 8th inning when Ryan Langerhans tied it with a solo homer. It stayed tied until the 19th inning. That's a personal record for me. Anybody happen to know what the longest ARBA game ever was?
The game ended when Ray Olmedo led off the bottom of the 19th against Tyler Walker, with a CF-X play that Rob Mackowiak (who was playing because Lance Nix had gotten injured about 13 innings earlier) couldn't handle. It went for a triple and Olmedo scored two batters later on a Josh Phelps single.
Here are some highlights and lowlights from the epic struggle:
Each team used 15 position players in the game. Ft. Worth used six pitchers, Springfield seven.
Ray Olmedo was serving as the DH when he hit the decisive triple- the fifth person to occupy the Springfield DH slot that day.
Omar Infante came into the game as a defensive replacement in the 8th inning and ended up being the only Fort Worth player to get three hits.
Springfield leadoff hitter David Eckstein was 2-for-5 with four walks and a stolen base, but was stranded all six times he got on.
Overall Springfield left 17 runners on base, Ft. Worth left 16.
Springfield got the winning run to third twice in the 9th-18th innings, but never with fewer than two out.
Ft. Worth had a couple of major squanders. Aaron Heilman pitched five scoreless innings for Springfield with seven strikeouts, and got a huge break in the 11th inning when, with men on second and third and only one out, Jason Michaels lined into a double play.
Trevor Hoffman pitched three scoreless innings for Springfield and got out of a first and third, one out jam in the 14th by striking out Ryan Howard and then retiring Frank Catalanatto.
Chris Ray and Latroy Hawkins were Ft. Worth's best- they combined for seven scoreless innings with three hits and seven strikeouts.
Overall Springfield's hitters were 12 for 67 and Ft. Worth's were 13 for 64.
Um.......Kevin, please don't play anymore 19 inning games. I don't think my pa and ip limits can handle it. When I read that Howard was still playing in the 13th I about had a coronary. And Ray a part of 7 scorelss innings when he only has 40 something for the year.
I'm right there with you on the usage, sir. Half my team is running over 100% now. Ryan Langerhans and Todd Hollandsworth each used 8 PA in the game. Now, those guys probably don't exactly sound pivotal, but consider the alternative- Roger Cedeno!
