Game 1
Outcome: L
Score: 1-2
Streak: L1
Record: 6-32
Rank: 7th
GB: 19.5
Game 2
Outcome: L
Score: 6-9
Streak: L2
Record: 6-33
Rank: 7th
GB: 19.5
The rainout on Tuesday night this week created the first double header in 1988 for the Orioles this night. It was "Three Buck Night" so fans could get two games for the low, low price of $3. It turned out to be one of the most frustrating, disheartening and disappointing nights of the season.
Since it was "Three Buck Night" I was already planning on going that evening. I don't remember exactly what I did in getting there that evening but I'm fairly certain that I got to the ballpark after the first game started at 5:05 PM simply because I didn't keep score for that game. Not sure how much I missed but I definitely missed the top of the first inning when the Angels scored a run on an RBI single by Johnny Ray.
I was in time to watch quite the frustrating game. Mike Boddicker (but of course!) and Kirk McCaskill were the starters and neither pitcher pitched really well but they managed to keep the other team off the board for most of the game. As I mentioned the Angels score a single run in the top of the first. The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Mickey Tettleton brought in Eddie Murray with a single.
Both teams squandered numerous opportunities to score in the game. The Angels left 7 men on base and were 1-10 with runners in scoring position (Ray's RBI single being the one). The Orioles left 9 men on base and were 1-9 with runners in scoring position (Tettleton's single being the one). Even more frustrating was the fact that the Orioles hit into FIVE double plays. The Angels hit into double plays of their own over the first nine innings as well.
The game was tied 1-1 going into the top of the tenth. Interim manager Ellie Hendricks replaced Boddicker on the mound with Dave Schmidt (this would be the first start by Boddicker this season that he did not get the loss in) and the Angels greeted him with back-to-back singles by Bob Boone and Brian Downing. Boone had advanced all the way to third on Downing's single which became important minutes later when he was able to score when Chili Davis hit into a double play (of course!). The Orioles went quietly in the bottom of the tenth for the 2-1 loss.
As frustrating as that game was, it was just an appetizer for the nightcap. The game started ominously as the Orioles committed two errors in the top of the first but they got out of it without giving up a run. The Orioles appeared to blow the game open in the bottom of the third. Bill Ripken and Rene Gonzales led off the inning with singles and Keith Hughes hit a double to bring them both in. Joe Orsulak then singled and Cal Ripken hit a sacrifice fly to score Hughes (although Orsulak was doubled up at second trying to advance). Eddie Murray singled and then Fred Lynn hit a two run home run to put the Orioles up 5-0.
The Angels got a run back in the top of the fourth when Johnny Ray tripled and scored on a Tony Armas ground out but Lynn hit his second homer of the game leading off the bottom of the sixth to keep the Orioles five runs up.
Then came the top of the eighth.
Jay Tibbs had started the game for the Birds and was still on the mound when the inning started. Tibbs hadn't pitched a particularly good game - he'd only given up one run but California had left at least one runner on base every inning except one. The Angels were continuing to have issues with getting hits with runners in scoring position. Until this inning anyway.
Wally Joyner led off the inning with a single and then Tibbs walked Ray. Armas singled which scored Joyner and Davis followed up with another single that scored Ray. That was it for Tibbs who left the game with the score 6-3 and was replaced by Doug Sisk who had failed to get anyone out the night before.
Lightning struck twice as Sisk couldn't get anyone out this evening either - Jack Howell and Boone hit singles that each scored Armas and Davis respectively and now the score was 6-5. Sisk was replaced on the mound by Orioles closer Tom Niedenfuer (and the Angels replaced Boone with Junior Noboa as a pinch runner). Niedenfuer got his first hitter Dick Scofield to ground into a fielders choice that forced Howell at third for the first out of the inning (finally). But Brian Downing singled to load the bases.
This brought Mark McLemore to the plate. The Angels manager Cookie Rojas decided to attempt a suicide squeeze and McLemore bunted right back to the pitcher. I remember thinking to myself from my seat in the upper deck "Great - they'll get the force at the plate and maybe even get a double play out of this!" And then Neidenfuer threw the ball away. Noboa and Scofield both scored to put the Angels up 7-6. When the dust settled Downing was on third and McLemore was on second. The Orioles intentionally walked Joyner (who had started this inning hours before it seemed at this point) to load the bases back up. Ray struck out for the second out but Armas then singled to bring home the seventh (and mercifully final) run of the inning. Neidenfuer got Davis to fly out to end the inning. The Angels sent 13 men to the plate and scored seven runs on seven hits, two walks and one big error.
After the Birds went three up, three down in the bottom of the eight the Angels came back for a little more off Neidenfuer in the top of the ninth. Butch Wyneger (who had replaced Boone behind the plate after he was lifted for pinch runner Noboa) hit a triple with one out and scored when Downing singled two batters later. McLemore doubled, moving Downing to third and Wally Joyner was intentionally walked to load the bases for the second inning in a row before Hendricks replaced Neidenfuer with Mike Morgan who got Ray to fly out to end the Angels' scoring. The Orioles got a single in the bottom of the ninth from Bill Ripken but couldn't do anything with it. The final score was 9-6. The Orioles had been swept in a double header that they could have easily swept had their offense shown up in the opener and had the bullpen not had a meltdown in the nightcap. With game two ending around midnight it had been a rough seven hours on 33rd Street.
It ended up being a little bit longer of a night for me. It had been drizzling when I left work that afternoon and I had had to turn my headlights on. But the sun was out by the time I got to Memorial Stadium and parked across the street at Eastern High School. You can probably guess where this is going - I left my headlights on. The Orioles would periodically check the parking lot and put up announcements on the scoreboard at least during the game if someone had an issue with their car. I remember glancing up at the scoreboard as the announcement was going off and wondering if I had just seen my license plate. It turns out that I had but I didn't realize it until the game was over. Luckily someone was able and willing to give me a jump so my departure wasn't delayed too much.
Which was good because I was actually moving the next day! I had been sharing an apartment with a married couple in Silver Spring and it was less than an ideal situation for both me and them. I won't get into the details too much other than while I got along well (and had worked with) the husband, I didn't get along well with the wife. Looking back over 30 years I know that I was partly at fault as well but after nine months of living with them it was time to move on. I moved into an apartment by myself in Ellicott City, just west of Baltimore. You can tell I moved from the DC suburbs to the Baltimore suburbs because my clippings for the game are from the Baltimore Evening Sun rather than the Washington Post:
And in case you're wondering - yes, it's THAT Ken Rosenthal.
Outcome: L
Score: 6-9
Streak: L2
Record: 6-33
Rank: 7th
GB: 19.5
The rainout on Tuesday night this week created the first double header in 1988 for the Orioles this night. It was "Three Buck Night" so fans could get two games for the low, low price of $3. It turned out to be one of the most frustrating, disheartening and disappointing nights of the season.
Since it was "Three Buck Night" I was already planning on going that evening. I don't remember exactly what I did in getting there that evening but I'm fairly certain that I got to the ballpark after the first game started at 5:05 PM simply because I didn't keep score for that game. Not sure how much I missed but I definitely missed the top of the first inning when the Angels scored a run on an RBI single by Johnny Ray.
I was in time to watch quite the frustrating game. Mike Boddicker (but of course!) and Kirk McCaskill were the starters and neither pitcher pitched really well but they managed to keep the other team off the board for most of the game. As I mentioned the Angels score a single run in the top of the first. The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Mickey Tettleton brought in Eddie Murray with a single.
Both teams squandered numerous opportunities to score in the game. The Angels left 7 men on base and were 1-10 with runners in scoring position (Ray's RBI single being the one). The Orioles left 9 men on base and were 1-9 with runners in scoring position (Tettleton's single being the one). Even more frustrating was the fact that the Orioles hit into FIVE double plays. The Angels hit into double plays of their own over the first nine innings as well.
The game was tied 1-1 going into the top of the tenth. Interim manager Ellie Hendricks replaced Boddicker on the mound with Dave Schmidt (this would be the first start by Boddicker this season that he did not get the loss in) and the Angels greeted him with back-to-back singles by Bob Boone and Brian Downing. Boone had advanced all the way to third on Downing's single which became important minutes later when he was able to score when Chili Davis hit into a double play (of course!). The Orioles went quietly in the bottom of the tenth for the 2-1 loss.
As frustrating as that game was, it was just an appetizer for the nightcap. The game started ominously as the Orioles committed two errors in the top of the first but they got out of it without giving up a run. The Orioles appeared to blow the game open in the bottom of the third. Bill Ripken and Rene Gonzales led off the inning with singles and Keith Hughes hit a double to bring them both in. Joe Orsulak then singled and Cal Ripken hit a sacrifice fly to score Hughes (although Orsulak was doubled up at second trying to advance). Eddie Murray singled and then Fred Lynn hit a two run home run to put the Orioles up 5-0.
The Angels got a run back in the top of the fourth when Johnny Ray tripled and scored on a Tony Armas ground out but Lynn hit his second homer of the game leading off the bottom of the sixth to keep the Orioles five runs up.
Then came the top of the eighth.
Jay Tibbs had started the game for the Birds and was still on the mound when the inning started. Tibbs hadn't pitched a particularly good game - he'd only given up one run but California had left at least one runner on base every inning except one. The Angels were continuing to have issues with getting hits with runners in scoring position. Until this inning anyway.
Wally Joyner led off the inning with a single and then Tibbs walked Ray. Armas singled which scored Joyner and Davis followed up with another single that scored Ray. That was it for Tibbs who left the game with the score 6-3 and was replaced by Doug Sisk who had failed to get anyone out the night before.
Lightning struck twice as Sisk couldn't get anyone out this evening either - Jack Howell and Boone hit singles that each scored Armas and Davis respectively and now the score was 6-5. Sisk was replaced on the mound by Orioles closer Tom Niedenfuer (and the Angels replaced Boone with Junior Noboa as a pinch runner). Niedenfuer got his first hitter Dick Scofield to ground into a fielders choice that forced Howell at third for the first out of the inning (finally). But Brian Downing singled to load the bases.
This brought Mark McLemore to the plate. The Angels manager Cookie Rojas decided to attempt a suicide squeeze and McLemore bunted right back to the pitcher. I remember thinking to myself from my seat in the upper deck "Great - they'll get the force at the plate and maybe even get a double play out of this!" And then Neidenfuer threw the ball away. Noboa and Scofield both scored to put the Angels up 7-6. When the dust settled Downing was on third and McLemore was on second. The Orioles intentionally walked Joyner (who had started this inning hours before it seemed at this point) to load the bases back up. Ray struck out for the second out but Armas then singled to bring home the seventh (and mercifully final) run of the inning. Neidenfuer got Davis to fly out to end the inning. The Angels sent 13 men to the plate and scored seven runs on seven hits, two walks and one big error.
After the Birds went three up, three down in the bottom of the eight the Angels came back for a little more off Neidenfuer in the top of the ninth. Butch Wyneger (who had replaced Boone behind the plate after he was lifted for pinch runner Noboa) hit a triple with one out and scored when Downing singled two batters later. McLemore doubled, moving Downing to third and Wally Joyner was intentionally walked to load the bases for the second inning in a row before Hendricks replaced Neidenfuer with Mike Morgan who got Ray to fly out to end the Angels' scoring. The Orioles got a single in the bottom of the ninth from Bill Ripken but couldn't do anything with it. The final score was 9-6. The Orioles had been swept in a double header that they could have easily swept had their offense shown up in the opener and had the bullpen not had a meltdown in the nightcap. With game two ending around midnight it had been a rough seven hours on 33rd Street.
It ended up being a little bit longer of a night for me. It had been drizzling when I left work that afternoon and I had had to turn my headlights on. But the sun was out by the time I got to Memorial Stadium and parked across the street at Eastern High School. You can probably guess where this is going - I left my headlights on. The Orioles would periodically check the parking lot and put up announcements on the scoreboard at least during the game if someone had an issue with their car. I remember glancing up at the scoreboard as the announcement was going off and wondering if I had just seen my license plate. It turns out that I had but I didn't realize it until the game was over. Luckily someone was able and willing to give me a jump so my departure wasn't delayed too much.
Which was good because I was actually moving the next day! I had been sharing an apartment with a married couple in Silver Spring and it was less than an ideal situation for both me and them. I won't get into the details too much other than while I got along well (and had worked with) the husband, I didn't get along well with the wife. Looking back over 30 years I know that I was partly at fault as well but after nine months of living with them it was time to move on. I moved into an apartment by myself in Ellicott City, just west of Baltimore. You can tell I moved from the DC suburbs to the Baltimore suburbs because my clippings for the game are from the Baltimore Evening Sun rather than the Washington Post:
And in case you're wondering - yes, it's THAT Ken Rosenthal.
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