San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds 8/20/09 Game 13
While waiting for my fiancee to get off work, I decided that I should take in some afternoon baseball down at Great American Ballpark. This game featured a solid pitching match-up between Matt Cain and Aaron Harang, but also featured a lot of bench players for the afternoon affair.
Both pitchers took full advantage of lineups that were not at their fullest potential, but it was a fluke play that led to the first run of the game in the fourth. With the bases loaded Harang struck out Ryan Garko, but backup catcher Craig Tatum wasn’t able to wrangle in the wild pitch to allow Juan Uribe to score from third.
Cain’s lone mistake came against Laynce Nix who hit a solo homer for the only blemish against the Giants righty, who three years later would throw the 22nd Perfect Game in MLB history.
The Giants had a chance to break the tie in the eighth when Pablo Sandoval doubled and Randy Winn singled, but pinch-hitter and future Red, Edgar Renteria, hit into an inning-ending double play.
Bob Howry took over for Cain in the ninth and pitched a scoreless frame, but it took just three pitches into the tenth inning for him to surrender the first home run of rookie Drew Stubbs career.
As seen above, Stubbs drills Howry’s offering towards the corner in left field. I am sitting in left field. Could this be my chance to catch my first home run. No. It ricocheted off the foul pole and instead, I am forever captured on film throwing my hands in the air, scorecard and all, wearing I believe, an Anberlin T-shirt.
My next trip to the baseball diamond would present one of the coolest experiences I’ve been witness too, the farewell of a true legend.
