My Thunderchickens and I took on the Green Rock Bombers skippered by our commissioner, Mike Bunch. Time was running out this month and neither of us could make the trip so we played by Skype.
It was an unexciting series for me for the most part… we just couldn’t runs. It wasn’t until game 3 that we scored more than one run in an inning. It seemed that our pitchers would practically have to pitch shutouts for us to win.
But my rookie starter Tommy Hanson did one better. In game 6, he no-hit the Bombers (stupid me, I don’t have the scoresheet with me and don’t have his line). It was about the fifth inning when I realized that he had the no-no going. Of course I didn’t say anything to jinx it and Mike had the courtesy to keep quiet too.
If our league is ever in a group setting and this kind of thing happens, we don’t mention the no-hitter but we might alert the guys and say that there might be some “press interviews” after the game. They usually get the hint in case they might want to peer over our shoulders.
My favorite league no-hitter story wasn’t even a no-hitter. Years ago, I was playing a manager who is now long gone. He had Kevin Appier on the hill and he was lights out. So much so he was pitching a perfect game through seven innings. *I* was impressed but of course wasn’t saying anything.
The bottom of the seventh comes around and his team is up. Appier is due up and his manager starts thumbing through his bench cards. “I’m going to pinch-hit”, he announces.
“Are you sure?”, I asked.
“Mmm-mm”
“Are you REALLY sure?, I double checked.
“Umm”, he glanced down at his scoresheet. “Maybe not”.
Either he was watching Appier’s innings really closely or just felt it was time for him to come out, he just didn’t realize that Kevin Appier had a perfect game going through seven innings.
Well, he kept Appier in and I eventually got a hit off of him. No perfect game or even a no-hitter. But he got the win.
Not to pick on this manager… when it came to playing APBA, he was one of the best. He just got caught up in innings limits.
