Play Ball! (Partial Show Test)

[Deleted]

(ding ding)

Yes, there's a couple of Os in the second word.  Have you got it now George?

[bighornbattle]

Nope.

[Deleted]

George is still stumped as well.  Bill, back to you.  You can select a letter or just guess at it if you think you've got it.

[billmcdee]

CAUGHT LOOKING

Also known as the backwards "K" (I used to be a statistician for a team).

[Deleted]

(ding ding ding ding)

When a batter has two strikes on him and then a pitch comes across the plate that he doesn't swing at and the umpire calls a strike, the batter strikes out because he was caught looking.

It is indeed recorded as a backwards K.  I also enjoy being a statistician for baseball and occasionally bring a scorecard with me when I attend a ball game.

Alright so once again Bill, you get the choice of the three teams to represent you.  Which shall it be?  The 1965 Cleveland Indians, the 1967 Boston Red Sox or the 1969 New York Mets.

[billmcdee]

I gotta go with the team that pulled off the ultimate miracle of miracles, the 69 Mets!

[Deleted]

Very well Bill, let's see if these Mets can pull off another miracle for you!  We'll pick your starting pitcher and lineup in a moment.

George, this leaves you with the 1965 Indians and 1967 Red Sox to choose from as your on-field representative.  Which of those two would you like?

[bighornbattle]

1967 Red Sox.

[Deleted]

Very well, the '67 Red Sox are yours for this inning.  Let's pick your starting pitcher for this mini-game now George.

You can choose either Jim Lonborg, Lee Stange, Jose Santiago, Gary Bell or Dave Morehead.  They are all right-handed pitchers.

[bighornbattle]

Jim Lonborg.

[Deleted]

Very well, Lonborg will start for you.  Since the DH rule wasn't adopted until 1973, we will once again have the pitchers batting ninth.

Here's the current lineup you'll be sending into the game George.  As before, you can make some changes or leave it be:

[bighornbattle]

I am keeping it.

[Deleted]

Alrighty, in that case Bill, it's time to setup your team.  Your choices of starting pitchers are:

(ding)

Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Don Cardwell and Jim McAndrew.  They are all righties with the exception of Koosman.

[billmcdee]

Even before I saw the list, I knew I had to go with Mr. Seaver.

[Deleted]

Okay, we'll see if his 5 different pitches confuse some of those Red Sox hitters.

Here's your batting order Bill, would you like any changes or are you good to go as it is?

[billmcdee]

I'd like Clendenon in at first base instead of Kranepool.

Also Swaboda in RF instead of Shamsky.

The batting order with them in the same spots is fine too for me.

[Deleted]

Alright, those lineup changes are set!  Let's head out to Shea Stadium for the action between the Red Sox and Mets!

[billmcdee]

In the immortal words of Casey Stengel...METSIE!  METSIE METSIE METSIE!!!

Quite a finish!

[Deleted]

(ding)

Quite the finish indeed as once again, we go to extra innings to resolve this mini-game with a 5-run 6th inning that ends with a big blast off the bat of Bud Harrelson.

Interestingly, Harrelson is partially credited as being one of the beginning sources of the team being called the "Miracle Mets".  On May 28, 1969, after a five-game losing streak that saw the Mets fall into fourth place in the newly-aligned National League East, Harrelson hit an RBI single that won the game, beginning an 11-game team winning streak and a record of 82–39 over the rest of the season.

In this mini-game, George had 2 runs on 8 hits and no errors, including the two solo Home Runs.  So that's $25 for each of the 6 singles, plus $100 for each of the two home runs and $250 for each of the two runs scored.  That works out to $850.

Bill wound up with 5 runs on 9 hits and no errors, which also includes 6 singles, a double, a triple and a home run.  So, like George, that's $150 worth of singles, plus $50 for the double, plus $75 for the triple, plus $100 for the dinger, plus $1,250 for the 5 runs scored and a bonus of $500 for winning the mini-game.  Add all that up and you get $2,125!

(ding)

So at the end of the fifth inning, Bill leads it 7-3 and leads in earnings as well, $3,375 to $1,175!

Again, for testing purposes, we're gonna skip ahead to the ninth inning.  This time, we'll be using teams from the 1990s and 2000s.  George, you'll need to win this inning by 4 runs in order to force an extra mini-game to decide it.  Let's have a look at the next word puzzle.

(ding)

It's two four-letter words this time.

George, you start us off again please sir.

[bighornbattle]

A please.

[Deleted]

(ding)

Yes sir, we have an A in the puzzle.  Solve it if you can George...

(ding)

...and also pick two numbers from the Team Board please.

[bighornbattle]

7 and 8. My guess is Foul Ball.

[Deleted]

(ding ding ding ding)

That was a great guess George and it your case, it was a home run and not a foul ball!  Well done!

(ding ding)

Well, look at that!  Our ninth inning will be a mini-game between what were the only two Canadian teams back then, the 1994 Montreal Expos and the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays!

George, you get first choice this time for solving the puzzle.  Which of those two would you like, eh?

[bighornbattle]

1992 Blue Jays.

[Deleted]

Very good George.  The 1992 Blue Jays will be the visitors for you this time.

Bill, this means that the 1994 Montreal Expos will be your home team representative in our next mini-game.  Since George solved the puzzle this time, you set your team first.

You may start either Ken Hill, Pedro Martinez, Jeff Fassero, Kirk Rueter or Butch Henry.  Hill and Martinez are righties while the other three are southpaws.

The other teams on the board this time were the 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1993 Atlanta Braves, the 1995 Colorado Rockies, the 2000 New York Yankees, the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

[billmcdee]

I have to go with Pedro on the hill.

[Deleted]

Pedro it is!  Now even though this is the era of the DH, it was only in the American League during this period, so since we'll be playing this game at a National League ballpark, we're still going to have the pitchers batting ninth.

With that said, here's your Expos lineup Bill.

(ding)

Would you like any changes this time?

[billmcdee]

I'll keep the line up as is.

[Deleted]

Okay, Bill's Expos are set, so George we come to you.

(ding)

Which of those players would you like as your starting pitcher for the Blue Jays?

[bighornbattle]

Jack Morris.