Crooked Numbers: Stop making sense
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a compendium of bizarre, improbable and hilarious Minor League on-field occurrences. Over the second half of the 2018 season there were, of course, plenty such moments. What follows are some of the best (and worst), in no particular order. (Click here to view the first-half edition.)
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a compendium of bizarre, improbable and hilarious Minor League on-field occurrences. Over the second half of the 2018 season there were, of course, plenty such moments. What follows are some of the best (and worst), in no particular order. (Click here to view the first-half edition.)
The birds and the bees: Peoria's
Cruz's start was against the Bees. But for bees of an uncapitalized persuasion, we move to Corpus Christi, Texas. Prior to July 8's game between the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the hometown Hooks, a swarm of bees descended upon the home dugout. The result was an 85-minute insect delay, a real buzzkill for fans of punctual start times.
It ain't over 'til it's already over: The aforementioned Burlington Bees were the home team on Friday, July 13, hosting a Lansing Lugnuts squad that, in the end, felt they were screwed. The Lugnuts scored five runs in the ninth to tie the game at 5-5, and then the lights went out. The Bees never got their turn to bat in the bottom of the ninth, and thus the score reverted to what it had been at the end of the eighth: Burlington 7, Lansing 2. Burlington's
-ski in, -ski out:
Ultimate walk-off: The MLB Home Run Derby took place July 16, and all the energy generated from that onslaught of prodigious dingers must have trickled down to the Minors. On that evening, three players hit walk-off grand slams. Harrisburg's
No cover: There's nothing strange about a rain delay, unless you're playing in the desert environs of Las Vegas (average annual rainfall: 4.17 inches). Rain in the region is rare enough that the Las Vegas 51s don't even have a tarp at Cashman Field, a decision they may want to re-evaluate before moving to a new ballpark next season. During July 14's game between the 51s and the Albuquerque Isotopes, a brief but powerful downpour caused a stoppage of play after six innings. Because there was no tarp to cover the field, play never resumed. It all worked out for the home team, which was credited with a 2-1 victory. Isotopes broadcaster Josh Suchon was less than amused at the way the evening transpired.
Souffront and center: Although Minor League Baseball's new extra-inning rules were largely well-received, they did result in a reduction of that most hallowed of Crooked Numbers topics: position players pitching. One of the best -- if not the best -- efforts in this category occurred in the second game of a June 18 doubleheader between the Ogden Raptors and Idaho Falls Chukars. In the top of the fifth inning of that game,
Even Stevens: On July 4, Fort Wayne TinCaps broadcaster John Nolan noticed an interesting fact:
As for how things went the rest of the way, the good news is that the TinCaps outscored their opponents, 224-217. The bad news is that, despite this, they went 22-32.
What a way to end it, part one: On July 3, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos entered the bottom of the ninth inning losing by a score of 3-0 to the Mississippi Braves. A sac fly and an RBI single cut the deficit to 3-2, with runners on the corners and two outs. Mississippi reliever
What a way to end it, part two: On Aug. 10, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were losing to the Burlington Bees by a score of 6-4 with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
What a way to end it, part three: The Eugene Emeralds went 31-45 this season, the worst record in the Northwest League. Yet they snuck into the playoffs after finishing second in the league's South Division in the second half. They then swept the Hillsboro Hops (winners of both halves in the South Division) in the first round before sweeping the Spokane Indians in the finals. This improbable run was clinched in the most improable of fashions: a walk-off balk to end the season.
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter