It was the war of the worst tonight as my Twin City Thunderchickens took on Rob Moore’s Chicago Highlanders over Skype. We currently occupy the basement of the Illowa APBA League standings though after this series I’m not sure. We played our first four games of our nine-game August series.
Even playing over Skype, weather played a role in our series. Announcing his lineup, Rob said, “Batting fourth, Carlos Santana” then there was a thunderclap sound over Skype. I was ready to congratulate Rob on his nifty sound effects but I knew there was weather brewing in Chicago. The tornado siren soon came and we both decided to take a half hour break so the storm could blow over.
In each of our four games, the Thunderchickens got off to the right start and got the lead. In the first three, we promptly lost it.
In game four though, Thunderchicken starter Hyun-jin Ryu battled hard. The Highlanders had plenty of chances with a slim 2-0 Twin City lead and Ryu giving up four walks and a hit by pitch.
But you know what Ryu didn’t give up? Hits. Ryu pitched a complete game shutout as the TCTC won the fourth game 2-0. In the Illowa League, we are all pretty good about not mentioning the no-hitter while it is being pitched. There are certain key phrases we may use though. “C’mon, we need a hit here” or “He’s pitching a gem today”. But no mention of the “no” word.
Rob mentioned afterwards that despite the no-no, he never felt he was out of the game. It’s true. He was down by only two runs and in most innings, he had a baserunner. A homerun would have tied it easily.
Motivated by Ryu’s victory, our series will resume this weekend.
