So far this season, the Mets have lost a number of games in bizarre and improbable ways. From failing to touch third base at Dodger Stadium to dropping a potential game-ending pop-up at the new Yankee Stadium, Mets fans everywhere have been forced to revise their “I’ve never seen that before” lists. After Sunday’s stunning game-ending unassisted triple play, I’ve been thinking about new ways the Mets can lose ballgames. There is one thing worse than ending a game on a triple play. They could actually hit into a “quadruple play” to end a game. If my knowledge of the baseball rule book is correct (and please correct me if I’m wrong), here’s how it would work.
Say the Mets load the bases against the Phillies in the bottom of the ninth inning. For argument’s sake, let’s put Luis Castillo on third, Daniel Murphy on second and Jeff Francoeur on first. (I feel bad for the guy. There’s no way I was going to make him the hitter in this scenario.) Let’s also say they’re losing 6-5, with Gary Sheffield batting and waiting on a no-out, 3-2 pitch from Brad Lidge. Sheffield lines a ball to the Cryin’ Hawaiian in center field, who takes his foot out of his mouth just in time to make a highlight-reel, over-the-shoulder catch before tumbling to the ground. The umpires haven’t made an out call yet because Victorino is seeing hula girls circling his head due to the impact of his diminutive body against the center field turf. As a result, the baserunners are still running the bases. Once the umpires make the out call, Raul Ibañez takes the ball out of Victorino’s glove (leaving his customary tissue in the ball’s place) and throws to Victorino’s fellow member of the Lollipop Guild, Jimmy Rollins, who tags Murphy trying to get back to second and then tags Francoeur.
This looks like a triple play with the game ending once Francoeur is tagged out. However, Castillo scored from third base long before the second and third outs were made. Once Rollins tagged Murphy, the force was removed on Castillo. Therefore, his run would count since it scored before the third out was made. Of course, in between bites of a chocolate bar, Charlie Manuel notices that Castillo also left third base early. Therefore, he instructs the team to go back onto the field for an appeal play at third. When Pedro Feliz steps on third, the third base umpire calls Castillo out for leaving the base too early. This is the “fourth out” of the inning and prevents the Mets from tying the game. Had the “fourth out” not been made, Castillo would have scored a legal run and the game would have gone into extra innings with score tied 6-6.
I expect this bizarre play to occur at some point in September, if not earlier. If it does, please do not ask me for my thoughts on lottery numbers. That information is on a need-to-know basis and you don’t need to know.
Just for fun, I’d like to ask the readers for their opinions on unusual ways to lose ballgames. Is there anything you can think of that could rival Sunday’s ending? Not including this season’s odd endings, what’s the most bizarre way you’ve ever seen the Mets lose a game?
That was pretty good I must say. I couldn’t see a more bizarre way of losing a game than that, lol.
OK. One a fly ball out, there is no “force” like there is on a ground ball. As long as Castillo tagged up on 3rd base AFTER the ball was caught by the beer man in CF, he’s free to score and tie the game.
Since you say Castillo left early, and then throw in the appeal play at 3rd, I think you got a valid quadruple play. I’m not sure which out would be stricken from the record in favor of Castillo’s at 3rd, but the Phillies win the game and Razor Shines is fired since Castillo would have had time to score, go back to 3rd and score again if Ibanez has to get the ball from CF.
nice work!
oh, and I would have thought that the only way to do this is with yet another bad call on the bases by one of those great umpiring crews in the league.
My mind hurts. You really put thought into this, lol, but I guess you’re making sense here. It brings to mind the idea of Four Strikeouts in an Inning, which has been done a few times. I saw Shields do it in 08.
I was at the game when Derek Wallace became the first Mets pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning in 1997 (I think it was ’97…I’d look it up but I’ve done enough research today) against the Giants. It happened after a lengthy rain delay. I somehow convinced my mother not to leave during the delay and by doing so, we got to see something that had never happened before in Mets history.
Kind of like what I saw at Citi Field yesterday with the unassisted triple play…
For curiosity’s sake, I looked it up.
Wallace did it 9-13-1996 in the 9th for the Mets, and Stanton did it for the Mets again 08-03-2004 in the 8th. 4 K’s in an inning is wicked.
But on topic, let’s hope that the Mets don’t run into anymore odd endings before they make a pity documentary on us.
The 2009 New York Mets : InsertNameHere
Possible Titles :
“Too Stupid To Make Up”
“The Only Way To Go Is Up”
“Real Life Example Of Murphy’s Law”
“The Walking Wounded, Shirtless VP, Weird Endings and More!”
For anyone reading this comment, Excuse my sarcasm.
It’s okay. I think we’ve all been hit with the sarcasm bug recently. I’m sure if they make a pity documentary on the Mets, ESPN will be showing it every chance they get.
Thanks for the Derek Wallace answer. I had a feeling it was sometime in there because I remember Rey Ordoñez coming up big in that game. 1996 was his rookie year.
See what too much time and the Mets can do to you, Ed? That was a good one. How about this one:
The Mets are visitors and the game is tied in the bottom of the 9th. There are men on 2nd and 3rd with two outs. If Pelfrey pitches out of this they go to extra innings, but he hiccups, I mean balks, twice. The two runners score and the Mets lose. i pray this never happens.
I’m fully expecting the Marlins to have a walk-off catcher’s inference call on Brian Schneider over the next three games. I’m sooooo not kidding about that.
Ed–buddy. You have WAY too much time on your hands.
Now excuse me while I go try to come up with unusual ways for us to lose.
[...] So far this season, the Mets have lost a number of games in bizarre and improbable ways. From failing to touch third base at Dodger Stadium to dropping a potential game-ending pop-up at the new Yankee Stadium, Mets fans everywhere have been forced to revise their “I’ve never seen that before” lists. After Sunday’s stunning game-ending unassisted triple play, I’ve been thinking about new ways the Mets can loRead more at http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/08/how-the-mets-can-hit-into-a-quadruple-play.html [...]
The Onion found a way to top you (and I do know the contexts are different).
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/rare_centuple_play_ends