1-0 Lightning Strikes Twice

Following Saturday evening's 1-0 nail biter at Citi Field, what would be in store for the Harrisburg Senators Fan Club's first 2015 road trip on Sunday? The Nats had been blanked for eight straight innings; the Mets for nine consecutive. Plus the Mets shut out the Nationals 4-0 Friday night.

Very little scoring, but big time baseball drama this week in Queens. And that's what we saw by the time we arrived at the ballpark.

We weren't the only ones arriving late due to the NYC traffic snarls. That meant the game was starting yet security lines were lengthy. Fortunately, folks with children and anyone without a bag could jump the line. However, it didn't take long for the security line to shrink for the others. (I tip my Senators cap to those burdened by this huge responsibility. They took it in stride and remained pleasant throughout their encounters with fans.)

Once inside I peered onto the field from the open concourse. From the time I settled into my seat, I felt a more intimate ballpark than I'd expected.

Sure, it's big. But Citi Field is mostly tall. I expected the huge video boards to appear farther back from the outfield fence. The field played smaller than a big stadium should.

From Section 125 the action easily unfolded before us and 41,000 others. The Shea Bridge provides uniqueness to the outfield backdrop.

The large Citi Field logo is visible both inside and out. Mindy appreciated that the batting team lineup and stats always remain on the left video board; the defense and pitching stats on the right.

On the heels of our last Fan Club trip (Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter to close the curtain on the Nats' 2014 regular season, we witnessed no runs at Citi Field. Ryan Zimmerman's 1st inning broken bat flare scored the only run of the game.

Not that we minded. Every pitch was meaningful. Both teams had opportunities, pitched extremely well and played good defense. The Nats stranded both 1st & 3rd one inning and bases loaded in another -- both with no outs -- yet Mets' pitching miraculously worked out of those jams.

It was good to see the Mets faithful respond to the team's early 1st place effort. The atmosphere nearly felt like playoffs to me, which added to the excitement.

Of course many former Senators saw action, including three relievers that Matt Williams paraded from the pen following Doug Fister's stellar 6.1 IP. Tanner Roark got two key outs; Aaron Barrett K'ed the only Met he faced to end the 8th; and, Drew Storen closed the door with a perfect 9th.

A Washington team hadn't won two straight 1-0 games since "Senators" displayed across their jerseys. However this game had turned, it was bound to be a classic, especially on the heels of the previous night's 1-0 contest.

Runs? Overrated

Since the DH debate has been boiling over yet again, let me start by saying that no one will ever convince me that baseball is a 9-and-a-half player game. That DH game may be called something, but it isn't "baseball" to me.

One of the main reasons why we must suffer this aberration of the game was lack of offense. Well, guess what? In many games, there's still a lack of offense. And guess what again? I'm perfectly fine with that.

I'm a big fan of crisply played, well-pitched 1-0 games. (Hey MLB, you want to trim time from games? Not many fans will be riveted to a 3.5 hour, 12-5 mopping with nine walks when pitchers can be replaced (or not) at will.

I don't care how long a 1-0 game takes to play. Baseball allows me to forget about the clock for a spell. Every pitch can change the outcome. Base running, moving runners and bunts matter. Every play in the field is magnified.

That's the game the Harrisburg Senators Fan Club enjoyed yesterday on our first ever trip to Citi Field. Due to the five-borough bike race street closures, we missed the only score in the top of the 1st. MLB Network provided the highlight(?) late last night as Ryan Zimmerman's broken bat blooper over 1st scored Jayson Werth.

Good teams seem to score runs this way more often than lesser teams. The Mets have been doing it this year. So have the Astros and Cards. In fact, St. Louis swept the Pirates this weekend in tight, low-scoring affairs on hundred hoppers, infield hits, bloop doubles kicking up chalk, and then finally a power display walk-off by Kolten Wong.

This time, it was the Nats' turn. Two consecutive 1-0 classics, Saturday evening and Sunday, both where the only run scored in the 1st inning. The rest of the games developed with all on the edge of their seats, many standing in key situations, including us yesterday.

More to come on our trip and why the DH would have ruined this game, but remember: if you ever feel the need to convince me that the DH belongs in baseball, you can save your writing/debating prowess for another topic. Because in my math, when it comes to baseball, 9 never equals 9.5.    

No-No History

Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Fan Club's traditional final Sunday home game trip to Nationals Park resulted in an extra-special historical treat this year: the Nats' very first no-hitter! The proof is in the MASN broadcast: during Adeiny Hecchavarria's 3rd inning at-bat, the centerfield camera panned down the left field line. Pause the broadcast and you'll see all of us cheering on Jordan Zimmermann from Section 110.

What a thrill to be on hand for such a historical occasion! Only two of us on the trip had ever experienced a Major League no-hitter prior to this date: Bill Given attended one in the 90s while I was fortunate enough to be invited to witness Roy Halladay's playoff no-hitter versus Cincinnati.

Nats Park was electric as the innings ticked by. Ian Desmond's line drive homer into the Marlins pen accounted for the only scoring, so the game was always in doubt.

Nationals starters would exit to standing ovations as more recent Senators took the field. Ryan Zimmerman, trying to work in some ABs following his DL stint, would be the last to depart as Steven Souza, Jr. trotted out to left field for the 9th inning.

None of us sat through the final two innings as Jordan put away Marlin after Marlin. His only perfect game blemish was a mid-inning walk to rookie Justin Bour.

After 26 outs, Christian Yelich battled and laced what appeared to be a gapper, splitting between Souza and Michael Taylor to snuff the drama. As Steven laid out, he snagged the liner and rolled over to preserve the victory and the team's very first no-hitter.

The aftermath was as much fun as the very efficiently played game. None of the 35,085 left or even wanted to leave. This is the last day of the regular season. Nationals baseball would take on a very different feel from this point forward.

Even the 8-year-old sitting next to me, attending his first ever MLB game, seemed to grasp the magnitude of what we'd just witnessed. Our bus was abuzz the entire way home.

The moral of this story? Don't miss another Senators Fan Club event. You never know what you're going to experience.

Parallel Thirdbasemen

I'm thrilled for Anthony Rendon and his first taste of the bigs. What little time I've spent around the young man results in a very high opinion - and I'm not just talking baseball skills.

At our annual Senators Welcome Back dinner, Anthony and Sean Nicol were seated with one of our Little League teams. Both took the experience in stride and even enjoyed conversing with the young ballplayers, who were thrilled to interact with professionals. A fun, memorable time was had by all.

Although I'm not quite finished enjoying his on-field skills at Metro Bank Park, I wish Anthony the very best. Of course, I wasn't ready to let go of Ryan Zimmerman when he left City Island after a few short weeks either, but that's the way of it. That's also why we need to truly appreciate the time we have while these players demonstrate why the club thinks so highly of them.

In fact, both thirdbasemen have followed a similar path when it comes to the DL. Both have the skills to project high ceilings at the top level. (Ryan has already proven he's worthy; Anthony showed his mettle during spring training.)

Both are also outstanding young men. Here's to their health, so we can continue to enjoy both players' talents at any level.


"From Deep Short"