I was only a few minutes late. When I left my car in the parking lot, the score was 0-0. The Yankees had a man on first. Nobody was out. In the few minutes it took to get inside The Ballpark, the Yankees had scored six runs. Nobody was out. This was accomplished without benefit — as would be the case all night — of the long ball. A night-long pattern of bleeders and tweeters, mixed in with bazooka shots into whatever gaps Ranger outfielders allowed, was firmly established. It would be, quite possibly, one of the five worst baseball games ever played … at least from a Texas Ranger point of view.
The 21-3 loss on Monday established a plethora of unseemly records. The 18-run deficit and the three touchdowns were both the largest in Ranger history. Records aren’t kept for longest half-innings, but if they were, this game would’ve certainly been a milestone. On the plus side, New York, in the midst of a season-long batting slump, was boosted considerably in the self-esteem department with 23 hits, their best production in 15 years. Catcher Joe Girardi (batting .222, working on a 0-17 streak, benched because he hadn’t had a hit since May) became, for a night anyway, Yogi Berra. He was 4-4, established a career high RBI with 7 (highlighted by probably the first triple of his career, a bases-loaded job with his team already up by 12).
Fortunately, baseball isn’t bridge. Lose by one, lose by 19, it only counts for one.
The bloody carnage of the previous night didn’t frighten off many fans for game two in what is an important series for Texas. As elderly Mike Morgan — with an August ERA of over 11 — stepped to the mound on an indescribably humid, greasy, calm night. Suffocating spectators whipped the “air” like mutant butterflies with their “Fans-of-Mrs. Baird’s” free fans. The Ballpark was almost full.
The puzzle for Texas — with the second best record in the league since the All-Star break — is how to avoid NY in the early rounds of post-season. The concerns are quite valid. Though NY’s not close to replicating their overpowering blitzkrieg of last year, they do, as always, have the Rangers’ number. They’ve beaten Texas three of eight times this year. Since ’97, the Rangers have won only eight regular season games against NY. The bad news: The post-season’s been worse. Texas has one win in seven games. This dark history does simplify long-range playoff strategy, though: Avoid the Yankees and hope someone else beats them.
Tonight the mistreatment of pitchers continued what can no longer be called a trend. Fact: There are precious few competent pitchers in the big leagues. Yanks starter David Cone is, for sure, one of those precious few. His ERA of 2.73 is second best in the AL. However, since his perfect game in July, Cone has been vulnerable — winning only one start in seven. After two long innings, 12 hits had produced 11 runs, six for Texas. Cone, in one of the briefest appearances in his career, lasted 1 2/3 innings. By the top of the fifth, the game was already two hours old; two hours once being the mark of a fast-paced complete game.
The absurd length of the modern baseball game is mind-numbing. This subject is a pet peeve of mine. I have a theory, based only on observation and my own prejudices. It goes like this. I suppose back in the Forties a ballpark was a much nicer place to hang out (with all the nice green grass and such) than your tenement flat in Brooklyn. That, sports fans, was before suburbs, air conditioning, and wide-screen television. Today’s fan is a more comfortable and easily distracted creature.
All kinds of baseball surveys say the fans want offense. I don’t buy it. I say they’re not asking the right questions. Ask these fans how many nine-inning games they watch. What time do they go home? It’s my position that significant swatches of folk start leaving at the 2.5 hour mark, which tonight is only the top of the sixth, or about 10pm. We grownups are drunk and tired by then; we have to go to work in the morning. Kids are way past ready to head home. They’ve eaten everything the park has to offer. Lots are asleep. Each half inning after 10 sees further significant fan erosion. After three hours, only the hard-core remain.
On this night of a waning full moon, a tight game between two first-place teams was, by the bottom of the eighth, being witnessed by maybe 10,000 inebriated, jobless fans. I was so sleepy I walked up 5,300 steps to the upper deck before I found the Big Kahuna Bar my body so badly craved to stay awake.
Once the starters were shelled to the showers the game settled down … but it didn’t speed up. Texas manager Johnny Oates did his best here by changing pitchers once an inning, whether he needed to or not. Combined relief pitching allowed only three more runs until the 11th. Maybe the batters’ hands were raw.
It’s now 11pm, the game is over three and a half hours old, tied at 7-7. I think I’ll listen on the radio on my way back to the hotel.
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This article appears in August 27 • 1999 and August 27 • 1999 (Cover).