Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Walk, Run

In the first two games of the Boston-Cleveland series, Manny Ramirez walked three times with the bases loaded. That is more bases loaded walks than any player has ever had in the post-season in a career. Only six men had previously had more than one career post-season walk with the bases loaded. These last three for Manny were his second, third and fourth (Bartolo Colon walked him with the bases full while pitching for the Angels in a 2004 ALDS).

The only other man with 2 RBI walks in a single post-season game was, of all people, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer. In Game Two of the 1971 World Series, the Pirates brought Bruce Kison in to pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning, with men already on first and second for the Orioles. Kison proceeded to walk Mark Belanger, the fine fielding shortstop who didn't hit much better than a pitcher, to load the bases, and then walked Palmer to force in a run.

The very next inning, the Pirates again found themselves with men on first and second, again with Belanger in the 8th spot in the order coming up, and again the Bucs brought in a new pitcher, this time veteran Bob Veale. Veale followed completed the instant deja vu by walking Belanger to load the bases and Palmer to force in a run, just as Kison had done a few minutes before. The Pirates lost that game (no surprise!) to fall behind in the Series 2 games to none, but came back to win the next three games and then the Series in 7 (I was a Mets fan living in Pittsburgh at the time, and being surrounded by triumphant Pirate fans that year was not fun). Cleveland seems to be overcoming the string of RBI walks to Manny Ramirez, as well as the Pirates overcame the walks to Palmer.

I was a Mets fan living in Pittsburgh at the time, and being surrounded by triumphant Pirate fans that year was not fun.

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