Yesterday's Giants-Dodgers game was tied 2-2 when Juan Uribe came to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with Travis Ishikawa on first. Uribe swung hard at the first two pitches he saw, missing both by a mile. Not so the third pitch—Uribe hit it hard and deep to left, where it landed in the bleachers amid deliriously happy Giants fans. Final score: Giants 4, Dodgers 2.
Huh? Four runs? It was the bottom (home) half of the inning, and Ishikawa crossing the plate should have been the winning run, making the final score Giants 3, Dodgers 2, right? So what's with that fourth run? Did the Dodgers have three runs, not just two? Nope; box score showed 2-2. Quick! Check the Baseball Field Guide (a present from Pica and Numenius on my becoming bat mitzvah). And there it was, the exception to the rule that when the score is tied in the bottom half of the inning, the inning ends as soon as the run that puts the team ahead crosses the plate. Except when the game ends with a winning home run—aka a "walk-off." Then all of the runners ahead of the home-run hitter, and the hitter, himself, score. Thus, Giants 4, Dodgers 2.
There's always something new for me to learn about baseball, and the win made the learning sweet. Baseball rules!
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2 comments:
Glad the Field Guide helped you figure it out!
Yep, it's a great little resource—lots of info, and well-designed, to boot. Thanks again!
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