Week 7: Pitchers hold onto No. 6 seed with split against Ninja Pirates

In what sounds like a truly nerve-wracking doubleheader, the Empty Pitchers split with the Ninja Pirates (formerly the Dirt Dogs), thanks to Sam and his Baseball God. The report from Sam below:

Game 1:
We were tied going into the bottom of the 7th.  Had 2 outs.  But gave up a single.  Then their 2nd spot girl hitter (who was pretty good) hit a liner to right that was perfectly split between our fielders, went to the fence, and it was enough to get the runner from first home. Loss.  

Game 2:
We were up 5-0 going into the 6th inning, where we gave up 3 runs. Then in the 7th inning they had 2 outs and a runner on 2nd; an easy grounder to me and I choked and threw the ball into the dirt. Run came home. Their No. 3 batter came up to bat and hit a liner to right field but God was looking out for me and the runner from 1st decided to go from 1st to 3rd and was thrown out at 3B. Game over. Thank you baseball God.

Brendan won the game ball.  He was ripping it and also made the last throw to get the runner out and saved the game.

Good games. Better than wedding dress shopping.

I couldn't agree more. Stats to come once I retrieve the book this Sunday... (updated, stats below!)

We'll go into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed and take on TAP again. I like our chances; provided we beat them in the single-elimination game on Saturday, Nov. 2, game, we'll play the winner of Sub & Heroes and Rubin's Angels later that afternoon. Here's the full league standings to date:

1 - Sub & Heroes (10-0)
2 - Check Swingers (7-3)
3 - TAP (6-4)
4 - 99 Problems (6-4)
5 - Young Guns (7-5)
6 - Empty Pitchers (7-5)
7 - Ninja Pirates (5-5)
8 - Rubin's Angels (4-4)
9 - Dragons (4-8)
10 - Hot Cousins (4-8)
11 - Fontana's Bar (4-8)
12 - MediaCom (3-7)

Game 13 Box Score
10/19/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
NP     0  0  0  0  0  3  1  4
EP     0  0  3  2  0  0  X  5

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Brendan RC 4  1  2   3   0  .591 (5-7)
Brooke 2B  3  0  0   0   0  .143 (0-7)
Greg P     3  0  3   1   0  .710 (4-7)
Stacey 1B  3  0  0   0   0  .280 (0-6)
Matt LCF   3  0  2   0   0  .560 (3-6)
Katie RF   3  1  1   0   0  .189 (2-6)
Richie 3B  3  1  1   0   0  .429 (2-6)
Kelly C    3  0  0   0   0  .167 (1-6)
Pete LF    3  1  2   1   0  .400 (4-6)
Sam SS     3  1  2   0   0  .481 (3-6,walk)

2B - Brendan (3), Greg (8), Pete (2);
OTF - Brendan(3), Sam (3)

Game 12 Box Score
10/19/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
EP     0  2  0  0  0  0  0  2
NP     2  0  0  0  0  0  1  3

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Greg P     4  0  1   0   0  
Brooke 2B  4  0  0   0   0  
Sam SS     4  0  1   0   1  
Stacey 1B  3  0  0   0   0  
Matt LCF   3  1  1   0   0 
Katie RF   3  0  1   0   0  
Brendan RC 3  1  3   1   0  
Kelly C    3  0  1   0   0  
Richie 3B  3  0  1   1   0  
Pete LF    3  0  2   0   0

OTF - Greg(2), Sam(2)

Week 6: Empty Pitchers vs. Hot Cousins...Again

If half of the battle is just showing up, the Hot Cousins failed to meet that low threshold on Sunday, forfeiting Game 1, and then getting whooped with their rotating cast of ladies in Game 2, by a score of 8-4.

After the Commish caused a league-wide stir following her attempts to cancel a day and a half's slate of games 72 hours in advance (Tropical Storm Karen failed to make landfall), Tropical Storm Greg took full advantage of another week's worth of stat-padding versus the Hot Cousins, going 5-6 on the day. The Pitchers' started off Game 1 with a scorching 5 hits in a row (for the likely first-time ever), including a 2-run scoring double from Brooke. Alex added 4 hits on the day, Richie had a key two-out single to score a pair of runs when the trajectory of Game 2 was still in the air, and Lisa continued to lead the ladies in batting average, going &2-3 on the day and raising her average to an even .400.

Game 11 Box Score
10/13/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
EP     0  1  3  1  0  0  3  8
HC     0  0  1  0  1  2  0  4

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
David P    4  2  2   2   0  .778 (2-4,sac)
Nicole C   4  0  0   1   0  .280 (0-4,sac)
Greg CF    4  1  3   1   0  .750 (5-6)
Tara EH    4  0  1   0   1  .318 (2-5,walk)
Richie 3B  3  0  1   2   0  .455 (2-3,walk)
Brooke 1B  3  1  0   0   0  .190 (1-4,walk)
Brian LF   3  0  1   0   0  .400 (1-3,sac)
Katie 2B   3  0  1   0   0  .161 (2-5)
Sam SS     2  1  2   1   0  .476 (3-4)
 Matt      1  0  0   0   0  .579 (1-3)
Alicia RF  2  0  1   0   0  .222 (2-4)
 Lisa      1  0  1   0   0  .400 (2-3)
Alex EH    3  2  2   1   0  .560 (4-5)
Pete RCF   3  1  2   0   0  .316 (2-5)

2B - Sam (4); OTF - Matt (2)

Game 10 Box Score
10/13/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
HC     0  0  0  0  X  X  X  0
EP     5  2  0  0  X  X  X  7

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Sam SS     2  1  1   0   0  
Tara 2B    2  1  1   0   0  
Greg CF    2  1  2   1   0  
Brooke 1B  2  1  1   2   0  
Alex P     2  1  2   1   0 
Lisa C     2  0  1   0   0  
Matt RCF   2  0  1   1   0  
Katie RF   2  0  1   0   0  
Pete LF    2  0  0   0   0  
Alicia EH  2  1  1   0   0  
Richie 3B  1  1  1   0   0  
Nicole EH  1  0  0   0   0 
Brian EH   1  0  1   1  sac
David EH   1  0  1   1  sac  

2B - Alex (2), Brooke (1), Richie (2)

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

The Empty Pitchers started to show the wear and tear of 8 seasons at the Coleman Oval, dropping two games to Balls Deep, suffering injury on the field, and worse, a bad case of the hiccups on the way home from Jeremy's.

Game 1 was ugly from the get-go, with Balls Deep spending most of their pregame warm ups attempting to cover up the too-literal team logo on their jerseys with spray paint, in an act of Commish-mandated censorship. It was ugly in the late innings as well, with the Empty Pitchers narrowly escaping the Mercy Rule, and falling by the final of 9-0.

Fielding a team of 5 guys and 5 ladies, the Pitchers’ lineup was about to take another hit, as Damian felt the cold sting of being on the wrong side of 30, and was hobbled in the first inning by a pulled hamstring. After playing some stubbornly statuesque CF, a few innings later he proved he doesn't yet have the wisdom of his years, stupidly attempting to leg out a routine grounder to the second basewoman and officially placing himself on the DL in the process*, and leading the Pitchers to suffer the indignity of accepting walk-on help from passerby Hot Cousin Javier.

Game 2 was at least a game, with the Pitchers posting a couple of runs in the first following doubles from Sam, Greg and Pete, and clung to that meager lead through five innings. Back patrolling center, Greg had a couple of nice put-outs from the outfield, and Koach K regaled the Coleman Oval boozers with her patented brand of left-field fly outs and one wicked amazing Willie Mays-esque grab in RCF.

It was the Pitchers’ first dual loss of the season, and many sorrows were drowned at Jeremy's that evening, as Damian tried to sell the team on his ability to beat Nicole at a foot race, Julie's dog-chewed mitt was put out to pasture, and Pete got his first taste of the sweetness that is a Styrofoam quart of beer.


* Don’t worry too much folks, he managed the postgame walk to the bar with plenty of pep in his step.

Week 5: Empty Pitchers vs. CENSORED

Game 9 Box Score
10/5/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
BD     0  0  0  0  0  2  1  3
EP     2  0  0  0  0  0  0  2

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Sam SS     3  1  1   0   0  .412 (2-6)
Alicia RCF 3  0  0   0   0  .143 (0-4,walk)
Greg CF    3  1  2   1   0  .722 (3-6)
Nicole C   3  0  1   0   0  .333 (2-5)
Peter LF   3  0  1   1   0  .286 (1-6)
Julie RF   3  0  0   0   0  .267 (1-6)
Alex P     3  0  1   0   0  .500 (2-6)
Stacey 1B  2  0  0   0   0  .368 (0-5)
Javier 3B  2  0  1   0   0  .500 (1-2)
Brooke 2B  2  0  0   0   0  .176 (0-5)
Damian     -  -  -   -   -  .846 (2-2)

2B - Greg (7), Peter (1), Sam (3)

Game 8 Box Score
10/5/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
EP     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
BD     1  1  3  0  4  0  X  9

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Pete CF    3  0  0   0   0  
Julie C    3  0  1   0   0  
Greg P     3  0  1   0   0  
Stacey 1B  3  0  0   0   0  
Sam SS     3  0  1   0   0 
Brooke 2B  3  0  0   0   0  
Alex 3B    3  0  1   0   0  
Alicia RCF 2  0  0   0   1  
Damian CF  2  0  2   0   0  
 Javier    0  0  0   0   0  
Nicole RF  2  0  1   0   0  

2B - Greg (6); OTF - Alex (1), Sam (1)

Weeks 2 and 3 Flashback: While Koach was Away

Having all these accountants on the team finally pays off -- don't think that  I've never seen such an immaculately-kept book in all my life! With Sam at the helm, the Pitchers ran off a 3-1 record while Koach K was away; splitting a doubleheader against Gotham Sluggers in Week 2, 12-8 and 7-5, and then blanking the Hot Cousins over two in Week 3, 6-0 and 12-0.

Game 5 Box Score
9/21/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
EP     1  4  0  2  4  0  1  12
HC     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  3

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Brendan RCF5  2  3   1   0  .533 (4-6)
Katie 2B   5  1  1   2   0  .115 (1-8,walk)
Greg SS    5  1  5   4   0  .833 (8-8)
Stacey 1B  4  0  1   0   1  .500 (1-6,walk,sac)
Matt LCF   4  0  3   1   0  .625 (3-7)
Tara RF    4  0  0   0   0  .294 (1-6,sac)
Richie 3B  4  1  3   0   0  .421 (3-7)
Nicole C   4  2  1   0   0  .313 (3-6,walk)
Brian LF   4  3  3   0   0  .417 (4-7)
Dave P     4  3  3   4   0  .857 (6-7,walk)

2B - Brendan (2) Dave (3), Greg (3,4,5), Matt (1),Richie (1); OTF - Brendan (2)

Game 4 Box Score
9/21/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
HC     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
EP     2  0  2  1  1  0  X  6

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Dave P     4  1  3   1   1  
Katie 2B   4  2  0   0   1  
Greg RCF   3  1  3   2   0
Stacey 1B  3  1  0   1  sac
Sam SS     2  0  1   1   1 
 Brendan   1  0  1   0   1 
Tara RF    3  0  1   1  sac 
Matt LCF   3  0  0   0   0  
Nicole C   3  1  2   0   1  
Brian LF   3  0  1   0   0  
Richie 3B  3  0  0   0   0

2B - Brendan (1), Dave (2), Greg (1,2)

Game 3 Box Score
9/14/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
GS     0  0  5  0  0  2  0  7
EP     2  0  0  3  0  0  0  3

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Richie 3B  4  2  1   1   2  .417 (3-6,2 walk)
Katie 2B   4  0  1   1   0  .111 (2-9)
Matt RCF   4  1  2   1   2  .778 (4-4,2 walk)
Stacey 1B  4  0  3   1   0  .750 (6-8)
Alex P     4  0  1   1   0  .571 (4-7,walk)
Nicole C   4  0  0   0   0  .200 (1-5)
Brendan LF 2  0  0   0   0  .444 (2-5,sac)
 Brian     2  0  1   0   0  .200 (1-5,sac)
Tara RF    2  0  0   0   0  .364 (2-4,sac)
 Lisa      1  0  0   0   0  .286 (1-3,walk)
Pete LF    3  1  1   0   0  .375 (3-5,walk)
Sam SS     3  1  1   0   1  .444 (1-5,sac,walk)

2B - Sam (2)

Game 2 Box Score
9/14/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
EP     1  0  5  0  1  1  3 12
GS     3  2  0  2  0  0  1  8

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Pete RCF   3  1  2   0   0  
 Matt      2  1  2   2   0  
Katie 2B   5  1  1   0   0  
Sam SS     4  2  0   1  1+sac
Stacey 1B  4  1  3   2   0
Alex P     4  3  3   3   1 
Tara RF    4  1  1   0   2  
Brendan CF 4  0  2   2   0  
Lisa C     3  0  1   0   1  
 Nicole    1  1  1   1   0  
Brian LF   4  0  1   1   1  
Richie 3B  4  1  2   0   0

2B - Stacey (1); 3B - Matt (1); OTF - Brendan (1)

TAP-ed out

The Empty Pitchers split a doubleheader against TAP to close out the month of September, taking Game 1 in an 8-7 nailbiter, before the wheels fell off in Game 2.

Things hummed along for the Pitchers for the first couple innings of Game 1 at least, with the Pitchers pushing 2 runs across in the first, and with two outs on the board, posting another 3 runs in the second inning. Clinging to that same handful of runs, the Pitchers held a 5-3 lead heading into the final frame, when TAP's bats suddenly found life in the top of the 7th. With the Pitchers knocked back on their heels, TAP put 4 runs across the plate in a hurry, and the Pitchers found themselves battered, bruised and down by 2 runs. 

Thankfully, ringer ATL (6-7 on the day) and rookie Richie hadn't seen this script before. ATL got on base with a single, and was joined aboard by Richie, who followed with a single of his own sandwiched between 2 female outs. A huge RBI double from Alex and an even huge-er single from Julie brought lefty David to the plate, who with little fanfare smacked an opposite-field hit to drive in the winning run. (Thankfully, Murph was able to just barely leg her way into second base before the throw in.)

Sadly, the Pitchers melted under the hot September heat in Game 2, as a series of errors in the bottom half of the first lead to an unearned TAP lead and the Pitchers failed to find the fight to get their way back into the game.

The excuses came from every corner of the Oval, as players lamented the burden of playing with a 1-and-1 count, the minimal shade to be found along the third-base bench, and the stress of again facing Koach K's unrelenting stare following her return from a two-week sojourn. As Julie and Lisa plotted the demise of TAP's second basewoman (she of myriad theatrical backpedals out of the batter's box whenever a pitch came within 3 feet of her), it was clear the hot summer sun had gotten to the Pitchers.

The Pitchers managed a scattered single or 2 each inning the rest of the way, but could never string anything substantial together, falling by a final score of 9ish to 3. David and Damian did get it done at the top of the order, each with 4 hits, and as Damian pointed out numerous times, in lobbying hard for future lead-off consideration, he did score all of the team's pitiful 3 runs in Game 2.

 

Week 4: Empty Pitchers vs. TAP

Game 7 Box Score
9/29/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
EP     1  0  1  0  0  0  1  3
TAP    2  2  ?  ?  ?  ?  X MORE

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Damian CF  4  3  4   0   0  .818 (7-8)
Alicia RCF 4  0  1   0   0  .200 (1-6)
David P    4  0  4   2   0  .857 (6-7,walk)
Brooke 1B  4  0  0   0   0  .250 (1-8)
ATL LF     3  0  2   1   0  .857 (6-7)
Tara 2B    3  0  0   0   0  .286 (2-7)
Richie SS  3  0  0   0   0  .333 (2-5,sac)
Katie RF   2  0  0   0   0  .000 (0-6)
 Lisa      1  0  0   0   0  .250 (1-4)
Alex 3B    3  0  1   0   0  .571 (4-7)
Julie C    3  0  0   0   0  .333 (1-5)Game 6 Box Score
9/29/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  FINAL
TAP    0  1  0  0  2  0  4  7
EP     2  3  0  0  0  0  3  8

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Damian CF  4  2  3   1   0  
Brooke 1B  4  0  1   0   0  
ATL LF     4  2  4   4   0  
Tara P     4  0  2   1   0  
Richie SS  4  1  2   0  sac 
Katie 2B   4  0  0   0   0  
Alex 3B    4  1  3   1   0  
Alicia RF  2  0  0   0   0  
 Julie     2  0  1   0   0  
David SS   4  1  2   1   1  
Lisa       3  1  1   0   0  

2B - Alex (1), ATL (1), David (1)

Week 1: Pitchers triumph in scrimmage

The Pitchers kicked off the 2013 season on a beautiful September day, facing off against the Dragons in a 10-on-10 scrimmage, for which stats counted. Plenty of power was on display in the early season effort, and those over-the-fence outs better be the last Coach K witnesses this season; level swings, boys, level swings are what the Oval requires.

Scrimmage 1 Box Score
9/15/2013
TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 FINAL
EP     0  1  0  0  0  0  1  2 4
D      1  0  0  0  0  1  0  1  3

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Matt LF    5  0  3   0   0  .600 (3-5)
Nicole C   5  0  1   0   0  .200 (1-5)
Greg P     4  1  2   0   0  .500 (2-4)
Katie 2B   3  0  0   0   0  .000 (0-3)
Peter LF   3  0  0   0   0  .000 (0-3)
Brooke 1B  4  2  2   0   0  .500 (2-4)
Sam SS     4  0  3   2   0  .750 (3-4)
Alicia RF  4  1  1   0   0  .250 (1-4)
Brendan 3B 4  0  2   1   0  .500 (2-4)
Julie EH   4  0  2   0   0  .500 (2-4)
Damian CF  4  0  2   1  sac .667 (2-3,sac)
2B - Damian (1), Sam (1);
OTF - Greg (1), Matt (1), Pete (1,2)

2013 Empty Pitchers Schedule

Weekend games are all doubleheaders, with each game lasting about an hour, give or take. Get directions to the field.

Scrimmage (stats count!):
Sunday, Sept. 8 @ 10:30ish a.m. vs. the Dragons (W, 4-3)

Regular Season:
Sunday, Sept. 15 @ 10 a.m. vs. Gotham Sluggers (W, 12-8, L, 7-5)

Sunday, 9/22 @ 3 p.m. vs. the Hot Cousins (W, 6-0; W, 12-0)

Sunday, 9/29 @ 12:30 p.m. vs. TAP (W, 8-7; L,8-3)

Saturday, 10/5 @ 3 p.m. vs. Balls Deep (L, 9 -0, L, 3-2)

Sunday, 10/13 @ 10 a.m. vs. Hot Cousins (W, forfeit; W, 8-4)

Saturday, 10/19 @ 12:30 p.m. vs. the Dirt Dogs (L, 3-2; W, 5-4)

Sunday, 10/27 @ 10 a.m. vs. Fontana's Bar (W, 2-0, L, 10-9)

Playoffs:
Saturday, 11/2 Round 1 vs. TAP (W, 11-1)
                       Round 2 vs. Ruben's Angels (L, 5-4)

THEN, back to the regular season:

Saturday, 11/16 @ 2 p.m. vs. Dragons (W, 7-4, L, 7-6)

2012 Pitchers' Regular Season Stats

Player  GP  AB  R  RBI 1B 2B 3B HR OTF BB SAC  AVG 
Greg     8  30  5   6  15  5  1  1  1   2  0  .786
Alex     4  12  1   2   9  0  0  0  1   0  0  .750
Sam     12  41  9  10  16 11  0  0  0   1  2  .711
John     8  37  6   7  18  2  0  0  0   1  0  .556
Damian   6  21  3   4   8  3  0  0  0   1  0  .550
Matt    10  26  9   6   8  3  1  0  1   2  1  .522
David    4  14  1   2   4  2  1  0  1   0  0  .500
Felix    6  19  3   5   7  1  0  0  0   0  0  .421
Brian    2   6  0   0   1  1  0  0  0   0  1  .400
Stacey  10  23  2   3   8  0  0  0  0   1  0  .364
Katie   10  28  6   2   9  0  0  0  0   2  1  .360
Alicia   6  15  1   1   5  0  0  0  0   0  0  .333
Tara    10  27  4   4   7  0  0  0  0   2  0  .280
Julie    6  22  4   2   3  1  0  0  0   6  1  .267
Lisa     4   8  0   0   1  0  0  0  0   3  1  .250
Brooke   8  24  3   2   4  0  0  0  0   6  0  .222
Nicole   8  30  1   3   6  0  0  0  0   0  1  .207
Ringers
ATL      2   8  3   2   4  1  0  0  0   1  0  .714
Rob      2   7  1   0   3  0  0  0  0   0  0  .429
Chen     2   8  2   3   2  2  0  0  0   0  0  .500

Congratulations to Greg, for clinching yet another batting title and being recognized for his years of softball excellence as the Empty Pitchers' inaugural inductee into the Coleman Oval of Fame.

Also congrats to Sam, the 2012 MIA, MVA and MVP all in one; Julie, recipient of the year's Most Murphiest award; and Matt, who was recognized with the Rubockian Spirit award.

One last note to close out the 2012 season on the blog...we lost in the first round of the playoffs to the stupid Sub & Heroes. I remember us as having a shot at winning the game, but have lost the scoresheet, lo these many months later.

So we'll turn the page officially on the blog, being that we're already a month into the 2013 season...