10 9
The Reds opened the 1999 season in the drizzle against the Mets. Julian and Cindy struggled early on the mound, and the team was down 6-1 at the end of the three innings. The team would slug their way back into the game, trailing 8-4. Elvis and Brent walked, setting the table for Julian, who singled to score a run. Cindy then hammered a double to the fence, scoring two, and later scored on a single by Kevin, who would then score on an overthrow. The Reds couldn't hold the 9-8 lead, as the Mets loaded the bases and lined a hit just inside the first-base line for the win. Despite the defeat, the team did a lot of good things. Brent and Dasvinder made sparkling plays on defense, and Kevin, despite taking the loss, pitched well in relief. The hitting was generally excellent, with Dasvinder and Kevin each enjoying multiple hit games. Katherine, Raja and Joseph also swung the bats well. A few lapses on defense, however, such as a pair of "you take it/no you take it" miscues between first and second base, cost the team badly. Overall, a positive first outing.

4 2
Pitching and defense were the highlights of this one. Dasvinder, in his first start as a Red went a superb 5 innings, allowing a run and striking out 14. The Reds scored all their runs in the first, on an RBI single by Julian and three bases loaded walks by Joseph, Jake and Chantal. The bats were fairly silent after that, as the Padres pitcher was excellent. Cindy continued to swing a hot bat, with a long fly ball and a hard shot off the shortstop's knee. (To his credit, he picked up the ball before collapsing in pain) Mike (#1) did a fine job behind the plate for 4 innings. The game got interesting in the last inning, with Julian in for the save. With the bases loaded, two down and two strikes, the batter stroked a hit to right. Katherine fielded the ball quickly, relaying to Mike (#16) at first, who then threw home to Cindy. The runner, seeing this, stopped halfway home, only to keep going when he saw the ball bounce right past Cindy to the backstop. Fortunately, the ball bounced right back to her and she made the tag at the plate to end the game.

7 1 (4 inn.)
A game first delayed, and ultimately shortened by rain. Brent made his first start as a Red, and while he struggled with his control, some timely throws by catcher Mike (#1), and a pair of good plays by Dasvinder at short kept the score close through the first two innings. The game opened up in the third, as the Phillies plated 5 runs, interrupted briefly by a small monsoon passing through. Mike (#1) pitched for the first time in the fourth, and while he walked the bases loaded, he escaped being scored on, when Mike (#8) converted a lined shot into a double play at third. He almost tripled off the runner at first. At that point, with two out in the bottom of the fourth, the umpire decided to call it a game. The game was so short that only 3 Reds got a chance to bat as much as twice. However, Kevin hit the ball hard both times he was up, Mike (#1) and Mike (#16) each made good contact and Jake also swung the bat well.

17 7
A close game until the late innings. Kevin started and pitched five solid innings, showing good velocity and fairly good control. Brent had an excellent game, fielding several chances at short and acting as the team's field general whenever things got out of hand. He also recorded his first career hit and had several good ABs, reaching base all night. The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the first, only to have the Dodgers tie the score in the bottom of the inning. This pattern continued for 5 innings, until the Dodgers took their first lead, 7-6, on a two-run double. From there the Reds bats took over, plating 4 in the sixth and 7 in the seventh. Mike's (#1) bat came alive as he ripped a pair of hits. Kevin also had two hits, and Cindy powered the offense with a key 2-run double in the 6th. Joseph also picked up a hit and Julian singled twice. The baserunning was generally good, although Dasvinder seemed to be coaching himself, Julian took a GIGANTIC leadoff, which the umps missed, and while Mike (#8) showed good speed beating a throw to the plate, it would have been nice if he'd touched the plate. The coaches didn't appeal the call because he missed third base, too. Julian and Dasvinder mopped up the final two innings.

8 5
A close game in spite of some mental lapses by the Reds. Dasvinder started and had control problems, but limited the Cardinals to 4 runs over three innings. Cindy followed and was much improved over her Opening Day appearance, but left a lot of balls up and out of the strikezone. Defensively, the team often seemed asleep on the field. Fielders threw to the wrong bases, didn't cover their bases, or simply didn't get the ball. Outfielders playing halfway to Sudbury didn't help matters either. On the basepaths, runners late in picking up a coach's signal, or not looking for a coach's signal, or my personal favourite, totally ignoring their coaches also complicated matters. That said, the team did do a few things well. Cindy continued her torrid hitting, going 2-2 with a pair of RBIs. Julian and Mike (#1) also picked up hits. Brent swung the bat well, although he wasn't rewarded with a hit, and we got some contact from Robin and Elvis. However, too many batters went up looking for free passes. Watching three straight called strikes and then grumbling about the umpiring is counterproductive, as is grumbling to your teammate about why he took three straight strikes. Now, if all of these things can go wrong and we can still manage to play a close game, it's encouraging to think of what might happen if we start to play heads-up baseball as a team.

15 6
In truth, this was a closer game than the score would suggest. The Mets scored in only 3 innings, however they put up 7 runs in the 4th inning and 6 more in the 7th to open up what had been a 3 run lead. Kevin pitched fairly well, but fell victim to some defensive lapses at key times. These consisted of absent cutoff men and the failure to cover bases. And the coaching staff will be trying to figure out the cutoff throw from right field to centre field for a while. Both teams hit the ball very well, so the Reds defense did make quite a few plays. At the plate, the first 6 Reds to the plate put the ball in play, with Cindy, Julian, Dasvinder and Kevin putting together consecutive hits to plate 3 runs. Robin enjoyed his best game to date, going 2-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs, and making a running, leaping catch in right field to snuff a Mets rally in the first. Elvis also enjoyed a decent game at the plate, making good contact, until the ball made good contact with him. We did leave the field with more players standing than the Mets. No fewer than 4 were hit by pitches, while another fouled a ball off himself. Another Met went down in a collision at third with Dasvinder (who was unhurt), while another flopped awkwardly into the base after being tagged out. (It wasn't that hard a tag, honest) Kevin kicked off this carnage, lining a shot off the pitcher's shin, forcing him to leave the game. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.

16 6(5 inn.)
A much tighter effort than our previous two outings. The bats were red-hot, with Kevin, Julian, Cindy and Dasvinder all pounding out multiple hit games. Katherine drew a pair of walks, drove in a run and did some excellent baserunning. Joseph had a pair of very good at-bats, fighting off pitches and showing a good eye. Mike (#1) got his bat going with a clutch bases-loaded single. He also made his first start, going three innings for the win and giving up 3 runs. He had some very good defensive help. Kevin was solid at shortstop. In his only inning at short, Dasvinder made a shoe-top stab of a lined shot with 2 outs and the bases loaded, ending a Padres uprising. Jake played an outstanding game at second, making smart decisions all night. He made a big unassisted double play on a line drive, and another good play on a ball that hopped up and clipped him on the chin. Jake stayed with the ball and tagged the runner from first to end the inning. Brent missed this game, as he was an emergency callup for the All-star team. The game was shortened by the pointless mercy rule.

22 6(5 inn.)
A game that quickly degraded into a nightmare after the first inning. The team sent 9 batters to the plate in the first and had a 4-0 lead heading into the second. Suddenly we failed to record an out. It's tough to win when you don't get pitching or when you don't get defense. It's impossible to win when you don't get either. Julian and Kevin both struggled with their control, but got NO help from the D. In five innings, the defense recorded a total of two outs. Balls scooted under gloves, over heads, throws went askew, and a lack of concentration ran rampant. Everything the Dodgers hit turned to gold. Baseball defense consists of two principles: 1) knowing what you'll do when the ball's hit, whether or not it's hit to you, and 2) Doing it! First basemen who stand and watch a grounder hit to third without moving are first basemen in name only. It's frustrating to watch such an effort because we're capable of a much better performance. The positive mentions are few, but there are a couple. Kevin carried a hot bat, driving in 4 runs. Chantal also started to swing and made contact twice. Mike (#1) deserves credit for playing a solid backstop for 3 innings in intense heat, and although she didn't record an out, Katherine played an alert right field, hitting her cutoff men consistently. Brent's mound appearance was his best yet, as his control was improved.

3 2
A MUCH better game than our previous atrocity. Superb pitching and defense gave the 1st place Cards all they could handle. Kevin started and pitched 5 solid innings before being picked up by Dasvinder, who shut down the Cardinals over the final two innings. Defensively, the team sparkled. Cindy handled a tough shot at first base, while Mike (#8) was solid at second and saved a run on a lined shot to centre field. Mike (#1) and Cindy combined on a beautiful 3-1 double play to cut down a run at the plate. Joseph came within an eyelash of making a tremendous play when he barehanded (!) a chopper at third and threw to the plate, only to have the throw elude the catcher. The infield and outfield were communicating well. Cutoff throws were crisp and stopped the Cardinals in their tracks. At the plate, we were in tough against the Cardinals' all-star starter, but the team did fairly well. Kevin was very good, going 2-2 with a walk and fighting off several tough pitches. Mike (#1) also got his bat going with a pair of hits and an RBI. Chantal took a bases-loaded walk to produce our other run. In the seventh inning, Kevin reached third, representing the tying run. Cindy chopped a ball back up the middle, but the pitcher handled it and made the play to end the game. A fine game with tight defense by both sides.

12 2(5 inn.)
Well, this was a LITTLE better than our last outing against the Dodgers. We did, after all, allow 10 fewer runs than last time. And we did outscore them 2-1 over the final 2 innings. The trouble, however, is that they outscored us 11-0 the first 3 innings. Brent got the start and threw well, but didn't get much defensive support. Some lucky 2-out bloop hits fell in, scoring runs and extending innings. In our half of the first, it looked like we would bounce right back, but Brent was called out on a steal of home. (He was CLEARLY safe) Elvis was then tossed out at third. He too was clearly safe, although he overran the bag. The Dodgers scored a bunch of strange runs, the kind that more heads-up play can prevent. The last two innings were better. Cindy enjoyed her best outing on the mound, allowing 1 run in 2.1 innings. Brent was a warrior throughout the game, showing great hustle and determination. He was plunked by one of the hardest throwers in the league, but shook it off a la Don Baylor, and proceeded to steal second and third, and survived a flying tackle by the third baseman to score on the overthrow. Robin also played a solid game picking up a hit, and Jake had an outstanding at-bat in the seventh, attacking the ball and making good contact. Not a great effort, but some signs of progress.

7 6
The scorekeeper had this game 8-6, and we were sure it wasn't, so had we scored a 7th run, we'd probably still be locked in a dispute. We did a lot of good things in this game, but not enough to put us over the top. Kevin pitched an outstanding game, but didn't get consistent defense behind him. Several groundballs squeaked through our fielders. That said, the defense had its moments, including a pair of double plays, one of them a 1-3-5 effort by Kevin, Cindy and Dasvinder. Julian made a fine play on a grounder at third, and later snagged a lined comebacker in his inning of relief. The hitting was very good, with 9 of the 12 Reds in the lineup making contact of some kind. Mike (#1) continued his hot hitting, going 2-3 with an RBI. Cindy and Kevin also continued to abuse the baseball, while Brent had a pair of outstanding at-bats and stole home. Dasvinder knocked in a run, but his overzealous baserunning finally caught up with him and he was gunned down at third, despite a large stop sign. Jake was impressive, ripping a double off perhaps the best pitcher in the league. Joseph also singled in a run. The Cardinals scored the winning runs, when a bases-loaded chopper snuck inside the first base line, scoring 2. One of the Cardinals coaches summed up the game, "We're getting all the breaks tonight." If we keep playing at this level, some of the bounces will go our way.

16 4(5 inn.)
On a day on which the temperature w/humidity reached 44 degrees C (about 115 F), simply finding 9 players willing to take the field was a challenge. Lacking some experienced position players, we struggled, but used the game as a learning experience. Several players received playing time at new positions. Mike (#8) put in a courageous three innings behind the plate, while Joseph got his first taste of playing shortstop, and Katherine and Chantal both got time at second base. Defensively, our biggest problem was the transition from the outfield to the infield. We held on to the ball too long on more than one occasion, allowing Mets runners to take extra bases. Other times, we completed half a play. Both Joseph and Robin made good stops on grounders, but couldn't finish the play. Offensively, there were some bright spots. Elvis drove in a pair of runs from the cleanup spot, Joseph had another base hit, and Robin continued his progess at the plate. Chantal had a good night at the plate, with a walk and what would have been a single, had Joseph not been tagged out at home to end the inning. Not a great result, but we showed improvement in some areas.

9 1
This game wasn't terrible, but we're capable of much better. The Phillies had two big innings, scoring 3 in the third and again in the seventh. In both cases, we could've been out of trouble unscathed. Dasvinder walked four straight batters in the second, walking in two runs, but he went to a full count on all 4 hitters. Then with two down and the bases loaded, a grounder slipped through the infield scoring a third run. A fine throw by CF Mike (#8) and a relay by Dasvinder nailed the potential fourth run at the plate. In the seventh inning, with the sacks full and two down, a fly ball to left field fell in and scored three more. In between, some defensive lapses allowed the Phillies to tack on a run here and there, and they do add up. We had some good defense, especially at second base, where Rakib snagged a line drive, and Jake made a few good plays. The best of these was a grounder on which he ranged far to his left, knocked the ball down, and then threw out the runner from his knees. Julian had a good game behind the plate, and was our only offensive bright spot, going 2-2 including a triple to the fence. He scored on Kevin's groundout. The top of the batting order didn't have a good night, and the team in general was guilty of taking too many good pitches.

10 5
This game was the Brent and Cindy show, as the two played perhaps their finest games as members of the Reds, and almost led a shorthanded squad to victory. Cindy started and pitched very well, going 5.1 innings, the longest of any Reds starter since 1996, (due to the change in pitching rules). Brent was solid behind the plate for 6 innings, before pitching the seventh. Cindy made a pair of defensive gems, fielding a tough in-between hop in the first, and shovelling a swinging bunt to Brent with two down and the bases loaded to snuff a Padres rally two innings later. Together, the two went 5-7 at the plate, with Brent singling in two runs with the bases loaded and two down in the bottom of the fifth. That erased a 4-0 deficit, and gave us a 5-4 lead that was, alas, short-lived. With several regulars away, our younger and more inexperienced players had to step up and fill holes. Mike (#8) played a mean shortstop, while Jake continued his steady play at second. For the second straight game, Rakib made a standout play, with a leaping stab of a line drive in his only inning at second base. While the team held things together for five innings, we simply ran out of gas in the sixth, and the Padres had some timely hits and plated 5 runs. Still, the team can be proud of a solid effort.

12 5
We took a step back in this game, and the final score should've been much closer, but for some inexplicably poor decisions. Cindy started her second straight game, and pitched pretty well, but was the victim of shoddy defense. Outfield throws went sailing over or away from cutoff men, allowing the Dodgers to just keep rounding the bases. They scored 3 runs in the first, when we could easily have held them to 1. Down 4-0, the Reds battled bakc, with RBI singles by Elvis and Mike (#1). Mike, in his first game back after a couple of weeks went 3-3 with a double and 2 RBIs. We tied the game, but then went out and had a horrific inning. Grounders snuck under gloves, and too many players tried to make heroic throws, when keeping the ball would've been smarter. As Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy said, throwing behind runners is like closing the barn door after the horses have left the barn. Brent continued to smoke the ball, smacking a double. Defensively, we were without a bright spot. We can play a much smarter game than this.

2 1
An outstanding game, by both teams. Unlike many low-scoring games, this one didn't feature a ton of strikeouts. Of our 18 batting outs, only 7 were Ks, a very good ratio. Both teams played excellent defense. Dasvinder made several good plays at short, and combined with Cindy for the play of the game. On a hot grounder between short and third, Dasvinder backhanded the ball, and threw a one hopper to first, where Cindy stretched and speared the ball for the out. Julian was a force behind the plate, cutting down a pair of runners at second base, including the tying run in the top of the seventh. Kevin pitched the first complete game by a Red since 1996, and had great control, throwing no more than perhaps 60 pitches, and helping himself out on defense. He struck out the game's last batter with the runners at second and third. At the plate, while we made a lot of contact, that didn't translate into a lot of basehits. Dasvinder scored both runs out of the leadoff spot by drawing 2 walks. He advanced to third on a single by Brent, then scored on a double steal. He scored the go-ahead run by stealing second, then third and scoring on an overthrow. Kevin had a solid single, as did Jake, who smoked a ball to right-centre for his first hit. Joseph, Chantal and Elvis all swung the bats well. This is an example of the type of game we can play when we concentrate.

15 3
The coaching staff lost track of how many runs we simply threw away. Cutoff throws sailing to the backstop, somnambulant outfielders, and a rash of missed throws between pitchers and catchers put us well out of this game. The things we did so well the previous game were non-existent here. Defensively, only Chantal played a strong game, getting to the ball quickly and making quick, accurate throws to the infield. At the plate, we squandered a few opportunities, leaving the bases loaded in the first, and making mistakes on the base paths, such as slowing down to watch the ball while stealing second. The hitting wasn't too bad. Mike (#16) made a triumphant return to the Reds lineup with a 1-2 night, while Brent had a good night in the leadoff spot. Both Robin and Rakib also had good at-bats. However, our lack of clutch hitting and complete defensive meltdown decided this game early. While it was likely a game we wouldn't have won, we certainly could have made it more competitive than this.

14 8
Despite lacking several key players, we put up a pretty good fight against the Mets. We struck quickly in the first for 3 runs, on back to back walks by Mike (#8) and Jake, an RBI groundout by Cindy, a single by Robin, who proceeded to steal 2nd and then scored on an overthrow. Our pitching ranks were somewhat diminished coming into the game, and things worsened from there. Dasvinder started and lasted three batters before complaining of a sore arm. Cindy followed, but begged out after 1 inning. That left Brent, who held us in the game the rest of the night before unravelling a bit in the 5th (the last inning due to curfew). He didn't get a ton of defense behind him, but continued to make progress. We had a hard time dealing with big plays. With a couple of runners on, the Mets cleanup hitter smacked a ball deep to right field. In the ensuing excitement, the team threw the ball all over the place and turned what should probably have been a double into a 3-run "homer." We cost ourselves by botching very basic plays, such as throwing the ball lazily back to the pitcher, causing it to skip away and runners to move up. We did cut a 9-3 deficit to 9-8 with a big inning, which scored largely because of patience, as the Mets pitcher couldn't find the strike zone. Mike (16) contibuted a big hit in that inning with a bases loaded single down the first base line. He also played a good game in the field, tagging out an attempted steal of second, and snagging a tough chopper on the baseline at first to end a Mets rally. Thanks to Mr. Savedra and Mr. Decata for helping out the shorthanded coaching staff.

20 0(5 inn.)
In a word: Ouch. I think it's safe to say this game was the nadir of our season, at least we hope it was. The Cardinals never really had a huge inning, but they were able to plate at least 3 runs every inning, and that piles up. Brent got the start, and threw well in spurts, but as he walked a couple of runners and the defense let him down, he lost his composure and started to try to throw the ball 110 mph. Mike (#1) relieved in the third, and picked up some experience. He has a pitcher's arm, but his command is still a bit spotty. Mike (#16) made his pitching debut in the 5th, and was able to record three outs before the nine batter maximum, (which was a nice change) striking out 1. The defense was very shoddy, we didn't stop the ball too often, and when we did, fielders generally made bad decisions. Mike (#16) made our best defensive play, fielding a bunt flawlessly off the (flat) mound. Congratulations to the Cardinal starter who hurled a no-hitter, although he wasn't overpowering and we put several balls in play, which were either made into outs, or ruled errors. The hitters still aren't taking an aggressive approach to the plate. If it's always darkest just before the dawn, then dawn should start Tuesday against the Padres.

8 8
The game began as a pitcher's duel. The Reds scored the game's first run on a bases-loaded walk to lead 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third. Then the defense collapsed, throwing the ball away and allowing 5 runs, when the Padres should have scored perhaps 2. We got back into the game via the bases loaded walk, cutting the lead to 5-4, but the bats remained silent. Only Joseph had a base hit through the first 3 innings. Cindy relieved Kevin in the fourth, and yielded another run, which Kevin promptly took back with a steal of home in the top of the fifth. The Padres scored two more on a two-out infield fly that fell between four Reds. In the top of the sixth (and due to time limit, last) inning, the bats finally came alive. Mike (#8) and Elvis walked to start the inning and moved up to 2nd and 3rd on stolen bases. Brent followed with an infield hit to shortstop, who overthrew the bag at first, scoring both runs, and placing Brent at second. Mike (#16) grounded out to second, advancing Brent to third. Cindy followed with a chopper to the mound, driving Brent home. Kevin rounded out the inning with a monstrous double to left. In the bottom of the sixth, the Padres loaded the bases, but Cindy fielded a grounder to the mound and stepped on the plate to preserve the tie. The defensive play of the game goes to catcher Mike (#1) who in the first inning, with the bases-loaded, jumped on a dribbler, stepped on the plate and then fired to Cindy at first for the double play. Three times the Padres loaded the bases, but failed to score.

9 6
A competitive game, that in the end came down to clutch hitting and fielding, which the Mets were able to execute far better than we did. The game started out on a bright note, as the Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. However, we left the bases loaded. The Mets were more successful in the bottom of the innings, plating 5 runs, due both to Cindy's lack of control and some poor defense behind her. Kevin relieved her in the second with two on and none out, and quickly retired the side on a strikeout and an unassisted double play by Dasvinder. The defense tightened up after the second inning, but it seemed that each time we made a mistake, the Mets pounced and added to their lead. We started a rally in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but again we could score only one run. Down 9-4 in the seventh, Kevin singled and stole second, Cindy followed with an RBI single, and advanced to third on a groundout by Mike (#1). Mike (#16) and Dasvinder followed with walks, and Joseph spanked a ball to right field, scoring our sixth run. Alas, Mike (#16) and Dasvinder got their signals crossed and both ended up at third base. Mike tried to score, but was tagged out at home. Aside from Joseph's hit, Rakib picked a great time to pick up his first base hit as part of our rally in the sixth. Both the hitting and the defense were fairly good, and had we managed one more base hit here, or one more defensive play there, it could have been a different game. This series isn't over yet.

7 5
Another in a series of tough games we've played against the Mets, and the first time we've won in six tries. Kevin started and had another stellar outing. The top of the Reds order was silent the first time through, but the bottom of the order bailed them out. In the second inning, Mike (#16) led off with a walk. With one out, Joseph got plunked, and back-to-back walks to Jake and Mike (#8) scored our first run. Rakib, fresh off his first hit last game, hammered a pitch to right field, going all the way to the fence for a bases clearing double. Eagle-eyes by Katherine, Raja and Elvis put us up 5-0. The Mets struck back with a vengeance in the top of the fourth, as their middle of the order came through in a big way, sending 9 batters to plate and tying the score at 5. The score remained tied until the bottom of the sixth, when the top of the order came alive. Elvis walked, but was thrown out trying to steal third. Brent had a tremendous at-bat, fouling off several pitches, and working a walk. Cindy followed with a single. Kevin singled up the middle to score Brent, and took second on the throw in to the pitcher. Mike (#1) singled in Cindy for some insurance. Kevin nailed down the victory in the seventh, retiring the dangerous middle of the Mets order, for his second complete game of the year. Everyone pitched in for the victory. The defense was airtight. Dasvinder was solid at short, Jake flawless at second, Cindy her normal steady self at first base, and Kevin made several plays to help himself out. Mike (#1) was a rock behind the plate, and Brent played a heady third base. Mike (#8) made the play of the game, gunning down a runner at first from right field. (Show off)

14 4(5 inn.)
Despite playing a tough series, the Little Red Machine ran out of gas in this one. Brent started, and gave it his all, but was touched up for 6 runs in the first two innings. The Mets opened up an 11-0 lead when their 9th and last batter of the inning, their cleanup hitter (11 going on 23), smoked a ball to the fence with the bases loaded. We hit the ball fairly well, but didn't get any breaks. Cindy lined a laser right back at the mound in the first where the pitcher made a fine catch. Julian singled to left with the bases loaded, but the Mets managed to force the runner at third. Kevin, Dasvinder, Robin, Rakib, Jake, Cindy, Julian and Joseph all picked up hits. Jake especially, was swinging a hot bat all game. Joseph, in his last at-bat with the team, lashed a ball to right that reached the fence. Unfortunately, he hit it so hard that he got only a single out of it. We had a lot of fun for a game that we were losing by 12 runs. Brent got to catch in the fourth inning, and did his best Pudge Rodriguez impression, gunning down one runner at second and another at third. With two outs, we decided to get a glimpse of the future, and called in Rakib to make his pitching debut. Despite a short warmup on the side, Rakib was more than a little reluctant to take the mound. For the first two batters, he alternated between bouncing the ball in and hitting the backstop. That brought up the Mets cleanup hitter, and the league's leading home run hitter. On a 2-0 count, he fouled the ball straight back, then, over anxious, he swung over strike two. Rakib's 2-2 pitch started a bit high, but dipped over the plate for a shocking called strike three. The players on the bench were up and cheering Rakib on, and everyone got a kick out of the results, especially Rakib, who celebrated with a little modest fist-pumping. This ranked as one of the highlights of the year.

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