You Never Know When You'll Be History

By D The Ranter

October 15, 2009

Well the Rockies season is officially over. A lot of people have come up to me recently and said "Hey D don't fret, nobody even expected the Rockies to make it to the Post Season". That's not true, I did. I believed this would be the Rockies year from the very start of Spring Training. I'm not still mourning, I just expect to make the post season every season. Aim high baby or don't bother.

I was able to attend Game 3 of the Divisional Series at Coors Field this past Sunday. A new record was set at this post season Phillies/Rockies game. It was the "Coldest Post Season game in MLB history". The low hit 27 degrees. I happened to be talking about the record set at that game when a nice lady I work with proceeded to inform me that her husband was a part of the longest game in baseball history. His name is Mike Ongarato and he played Triple A ball from 1978 to 1981. I was shocked, first because the game she was mentioning lasted 32 innings and second that she was married to a former pro-ballplayer...I had no idea.

The game was between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings from the Triple A International League and it took place in 1981. Not big name teams but there were a few big names. Two future Hall of Famers played in this historic game. The first was Cal Ripkin Jr. who was inducted in 2007. Cal went 2-13 on the night playing third base for Rochester. The second was Wade Boggs. Wade was inducted in 2005, played third base for Pawtucket and went 4-12 with a double and an RBI.

Here are some interesting notes from this historic game:

• The start of the original game was delayed for about half an hour due to a problem with the lights at McCoy Stadium.
• Steve Grilli, the losing pitcher for Rochester, was not a member of the Red Wings when the game started on April 18.
• Jim Umbarger pitched ten innings of scoreless relief for Rochester.
• Rochester's Dave Huppert caught 31 of the 33 innings.
• Dallas Williams of the Red Wings went 0-13 at the plate. Williams was credited with two sacrifice bunts, and had, while not an official stat, 15 appearances without a hit. Williams' 0-13 stat is also a record in futility in any single professional baseball game.
• Russ Laribee of the PawSox went 0-11, striking out eight times. That accomplishment made him the first player in history to record the double golden sombrero.
• Between the two teams, pitchers faced a total of 246 batters (219 AB, 23 BB, 4 HBP). A total of 1882 pitches were thrown.
• Pawtucket's Dave Koza had the most hits of any player in the game: five, including the game-winner.
• 53 runners were left on base (30 by Rochester and 23 by Pawtucket).
• Pawsox Manager Joe Morgan was ejected from the game by Home Plate Umpire Dennis Cregg. In a newspaper interview, Morgan claims that Cregg threw him out of the game "to impress his young nephew [David Cregg] who was in the stands".
• The temperature dropped into the 40's causing players in the dugouts to start small fires in metal trash cans using pieces of broken bats to keep warm.
• The total game time was 8 hours and 25 minutes.

Here a list of the records that were set at this game:

• Most putouts by one team in one game: 99 (PAW)
• Most total putouts in one game: 195
• Most at-bats for one team in one game: 114 (PAW)
• Most total at-bats in one game: 219
• Most strikeouts by one team in one game: 34 (ROC)
• Most total strikeouts in one game: 60
• Most strikeouts by one player in a game: 8, Russ Laribee (PAW)
• Most total assists in one game: 88 Most innings: 33
• Most at-bats by one player in one game: 14, Dave Koza, Lee Graham, Chico Walker (all PAW)
• Most plate appearances by one player in one game: 15, Tom Eaton, Cal Ripken Jr, Dallas Williams (all ROC)
• Total time for one game: 8 hours, 25 minutes

See folks, that's why watching a game on TV will never compare to watching a game live. Although avoiding the elements may be more comfortable, you'll never become part of history sitting on your couch. Thanks for the reading Edition 2 of Ranter's Banter.

D the Rockpile Ranter.

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