Baseball Playoff Update #1

In Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3. Here are the important statistics:

• Number of runners left on base: 30 -- a new post-season record for a nine inning game
• Number of times an inning ended with the bases loaded: 4 -- three times by the Dodgers
• Number of walks: 13 -- including two intentional walks to Albert Pujols
• Number of batters hit by pitch: 4 -- two for each team
• Number of pitchers used: 12
• Number of players who appeared and who also played for the Cardinals during the 2006 World Series: 5 --Chris Carpenter (pictured above), Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Ronnie Belliard (for the Dodgers), and Jeff Weaver (for the Dodgers-- he was the winning pitcher)
• Inning during which the broadcast technical difficulties were the worst: 4th
• Time of game: 3:54

Click here for the box score.

Below: Matt Holliday argues with home plate umpire Dana DeMuth after being called out looking with the bases loaded in the first inning.

Historically significant baseball games I have attended #3

Who was playing? Baltimore Orioles versus Seattle Mariners

Where did they play? Safeco Field, Seattle, WA

When did they play? July 15, 2005

Did I know this game might be significant before it started? Yes. The only reason I wanted to go was to have a chance to see someone get their 3000th hit.

What happened? Rafael Palmeiro, first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, got his 3000th hit, a double to left field in the 5th inning off Mariners pitcher Joel Pineiro.

What do I remember? The Orioles were in Seattle, and Rafael Palmeiro had 2999 hits. I convinced my daughter that we needed to go see the game. We sat out in the left field bleachers.

In his first two at-bats, Rafael Palmeiro walked and grounded out. At one point, he hit a long foul ball down the right field line, and the crowd groaned in disappointment. Finally, in the 5th inning, Rafael Palmeiro hit a line drive into left field that sliced towards the corner and barely stayed fair. Rafael Palmeiro ended up with a double. Everyone cheered and his team came out onto the field to surround and congratulate him. (Picture below)

One of the important things about sitting in the left field bleachers at Safeco Field is that you can not see the out-of-town scoreboard. At the same time the Orioles were playing the Mariners, the Cardinals were playing the Houston Astros in St. Louis. Throughout the game, my daughter and I took breaks to walk down to where we could get a look at the out-of-town scoreboard. Every time we checked, it seemed like the score was 2-2 - in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. Finally, in the top of the 13th inning, we saw that Houston had gone ahead 3-2, and my daughter and I were very sad. But when we checked a little while later, we saw that the final score was 4-3 and the Cardinals had won. We both were very happy and started screaming and jumping up and down. The Mariners fans around us probably thought that we were crazy. When my daughter and I got home, we found out that Albert Pujols had hit a two-run home run to win the game.

Was there an aftermath? The Orioles won the game 6-3. They finished the season in 4th place in the American League East with a record of 74-88. Rafael Palmeiro had already testified to Congress (in March of 2005) that he had never used steroids. However, in August, 2005, he was suspended for ten days by Major League Baseball for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. It is now unlikely that Rafael Palmeiro will be elected to the Hall of Fame, even though, with his career numbers, he certainly deserves it.

Below: Rafael Palmeiro testifying before Congress: "I have never intentionally used steroids."

The St. Louis Cardinals finished in first place in the National League Central with a record of 100-62. They beat the San Diego Padres in the first round of the playoffs but ultimately lost to the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series. Albert Pujols continues to play first base for the Cardinals. He has not been implicated in any steroids-related scandals.

Albert Pujols watching a home run he hit against the Houston Astros, just not the home run he hit on July 15, 2005.

Questions you might have about Cardinals' catcher Yadier Molina

1. In a foot race to first base, who would get there first - you or Yadier Molina?
2. Yadier Molina has two brothers who have also won the World Series - Bengie Molina and Jose Molina (2002 California Angels). Has any other group of brothers ever done anything like that?
3. When Yadier Molina sits around before, during, and after games talking to Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, what language do they speak in - English or Spanish?