The Day the Sun Didn't Count
A sunny afternoon called for darkness, a slugger they wouldn't pitch to, a strike that got away, and a pitcher who met the locals.
Ed. 10.05.26
The Day the Sun Didn't Count (1922)
Game 2 of the 1922 World Series was tied 3-3 after ten innings at the Polo Grounds, with both starters still on the mound. Then umpire George Hildebrand called it for darkness while the sun was still in the sky. The crowd was furious, and plenty of people suspected baseball wanted an extra gate. Commissioner Landis answered by giving the day's receipts to charity. Nobody has played to a tie in the World Series since.
Nothing to Hit for Mel Ott (1929)
Mel Ott and Chuck Klein went into a doubleheader in Philadelphia tied for the National League home run lead at 42. Klein homered in the opener. In the nightcap, Phillies pitchers walked Ott five times, once with the bases loaded, rather than give him a chance to catch up. Klein took the crown with 43. Ott took home a lesson in how far a team will go for its own guy.
One Strike Away (1941)
Brooklyn led the Yankees 4-3 in Game 4 of the World Series at Ebbets Field, two outs in the ninth. Hugh Casey struck out Tommy Henrich, and the game should have been over. Instead the pitch skipped past catcher Mickey Owen and Henrich raced to first. The Yankees rallied for four runs, won 7-4, and wrapped up the Series the next afternoon. Owen caught for years, but one pitch is the one everybody remembered.
The Bug Game (2007)
Rookie Joba Chamberlain had walked six batters in 24 big-league innings when he was protecting a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning of an ALDS game in Cleveland. Then the midges arrived. Drawn by the lights on a warm night, swarms of them coated his neck and arms, and bug spray didn't help. He walked the leadoff man and threw two wild pitches, and the tying run scored without a hit. Cleveland won in 11 and took the series in four.
