8.14.2006

Game #119: A's 5, Mariners 4

August 14, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle
PICK-OFF OF ICHIRO FOR THE LAST OUT AND THE A'S WIN!

Another unusual game-ending play that makes me proud I was there. And No. 19 was right beside me! This is the second game in row that we've watched together as the A's come from behind.

• Not so memorable: Barry Zito's mediocrity. Here I am waiting to shower him with love and affection in what could possibly be one of his last nine starts in an A's uniform, but Barry Zito gives up seven hits and four runs in five innings. Eh. (Right now Joe Blanton has the most wins among the pitchers; he has 13. Zito has 12. Haren has 10.)


View from left outfield, though not exactly from the seat where I should've been. I went to the wrong row! (photo by wella)

• I wasn't sitting next to No. 19 for almost two full innings! She will fill you in with my faux pas at the Coliseum and other unforgivables, so be sure to check her comments.

• In the 3rd inning, Kielty cheats Jose Lopez of what could've been a stand-up double and keeps Lopez to a base hit. Zito gets himself out of this inning.

• Bottom of the 4th and it's 2-1 Seattle. Mark Ellis is up and No. 19 yells, "ATONE FOR YOUR SINS!" He obeys and sends the ball over the wall. His HR ties the game at 2-all.

• Frank Thomas's HR in the 5th was majestic.

• Joe Kennedy's back! And in his first appearance, he gets tonight's win. As No. 19 pointed out, Zito gave up the runs to Seattle in this game and the bullpen — Gaudin, Kennedy, Duchscherer shut them down.

• So it's the bottom of the 8th and the A's are down by a run, 4-3. Then Nick Swisher blasts a two-run HR and now the A's are ahead!

• No. 19 and I are excited as the top of the 9th begins. I'm hoping the A's win (as they've done the last three days) so we all go home half an inning early. It's like a bonus!

First, Kielty exits the game so Payton can move to left and allow Mark Kotsay to take over at center. Kotsay hasn't played in a week due to back problems. Bloomquist's fly ball heads for center, but not quite as far back as Kotsay is. He scrambles forward. I think, "It's Kotsay! Of course he can catch it." He does, but it looked hard.

We only need one more out. Everyone in the Coliseum gets to their feet. But it's Ichiro at bat and of course he gets a base hit.

So Ichiro is at first and Jose Lopez in the batter's box. Duchscherer has Lopez at two strikes. We're all hoping and waiting for a strikeout. And that's when Duchscherer throws to Swisher at first and Swisher tags Ichiro who's justthismuch too late back to first. Ichiro is picked off!

We're all blown away by such an unexpected out. I LOVE pick-offs and to witness a game-ending one where the A's win makes this one an especially memorable game for me. Check the well-A-meter.


(Game experience: Sec. 226 Row 8 Seat 14 with No. 19)

A's record: 66-52 | streak: W-4 | well-A-meter: 4

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The way the A's are playing of late, we might see the well-A-meter max out at 5 sometime before the end of the season. I think the last time that happened was a year ago when Kendell stole home in the 9th inning against the Angels on K-Rod's misplay. Or perhaps when the A's led two games to none against Boston in the 2003 ALDS.

Tue Aug 15, 01:27:00 AM PDT  
Blogger wella said...

Well, I didn't have a well-A-meter last year though I did keep a deadtree diary. If I did have a well-A-meter, then I would've put it at 5 for that span when the A's were playing .800 ball. Remember that? Just before they started that run in the last week of June 2005, I had calculated that they needed to win 2 out of every 3 games in order to make it to the post-season. For a few glorious weeks there, the A's were doing it and I was all, "World Series, here we come!"

I'm more cautious with those kinds of emotions now. :-)

Tue Aug 15, 10:17:00 AM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, I had to apologize off the bat to Wella because I was a bit late meeting her at the BART bridge. Stupid accident on 880 near High! Then I had to run off the ATM to make sure I had enough cash for the Big Bratwurst. Wella asked if she had to accompany me all the way to the lower concourse. I said, "Of course not! I can always ask an usher in case I can't find my seat." Anyway, I was quite proud of myself for finding my seat in Section 226, Row 8, Seat 13 without the help of an usher -- although I was mildly surprised not to see Wella in her seat. I speculated that perhaps she had stopped to get some food before the game began. I settled down in my seat and watched the first inning.

By the second inning, though, I was beginning to wonder and doubt myself. Was I really in the right seat. Luckily, the fan ahead of me had stuck his ticket on his hat so I sneaked a peek: Section 226, Row 7, Seat 12. OK, so either both he and I had made the same mistake -- or Wella was still getting some food -- or she's somewhere else! I decided to give her a call on those handy devices known as cell phones. Finally, we connected just as the A's were mounting a comeback in the bottom half of the second inning. Swisher had already singled in a run, but the A's had a few men on. So when Wella demanded to know where I was, I was a bit distracted -- but I assured her that I knew where I was so where was she?!!? After some confusing discussion, she finally found me and accepted the fact that she had been in the wrong seat until now. Just in time to see Mark Ellis not bring the runner in from third with fewer than two outs. Argh! I'm guessing that Wella mixed up her seat and row numbers?

When Ellis came up in the fourth, I yelled at him to atone for his sins for not bringing in the run from the second inning. And he did -- with a home run!

I'm lousy at reading balls off the bats, but even I could tell Frank Thomas' home run was a no-doubter.

When the bottom of the eighth started, Wella commented that she was cold and that perhaps the A's would finally lose to the M's. I gave her the scornful look that deserved. When Chavez singled off Sherrill, I was surprised when Hargrove pulled him in favor of Soriano. And my criticism was warranted when Swisher hit a 2-run home run off Soriano! I was thinking that perhaps the ball would be a game-tying double off the wall, so when Ichiro went up for the ball, I couldn't tell if he had caught it or not. Luckily, everyone else in the stadium was paying more attention to the ump's signal so both Wella and I could both celebrate!

Definitely the capper to a great game was Duke picking off Ichiro at first base! Another satisfying A's win :-)

Tue Aug 15, 11:18:00 AM PDT  
Blogger C said...

Oh man, I laughed till I cried reading the "ATONE FOR YOUR SINS" moment. I can totally see you doing that, Marisa. Please remember only to use your powers for Good.

Tue Aug 15, 03:01:00 PM PDT  
Blogger wella said...

Thanks, No. 19, for the additional commentary. Forgot to say also that when Swisher had that HR in the 8th, we couldn't tell if the ball went out of the park or not. The way Ichiro sort of crumpled against the right field wall, we didn't know if he caught it. But when we saw Swish rounding second, then we knew.

And also, when Kotsay made that catch in the 9th, we could distinctly see Milton Bradley give him a pat on the back. Well, that's what it looked like to me. On the radio afterwards, I heard Ken Korach say it was a high five. Either way at the time it struck me as unusual. What a cool group of outfielders we have!

Tue Aug 15, 08:15:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, every time I yell something out of the ordinary like that, I'm reminded of our former co-worker Neil who once yelled "War and Peace!" to Rickey Henderson -- along with a few other classics like "Crime and Punishment!" It was quite odd :-)

Remember that game vs. Cleveland earlier this year? When I kept yelling at the A's, "Hey, this pitcher is eminently hittable!"?

Tue Aug 15, 09:10:00 PM PDT  

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