A Statement Game - TPG vs KPF

On April 30th, 2013, league commissioner David Solomon sent TPG Manager Josh "Roll Call" Ginsburg an email saying that TPG's next game against KPF on May 2nd was a "statement game".  Last night was May 2nd.  KPF was coming off a very successful 2012 season where they were two runs away from playing in the championships, and followed it up with two dominating victories to start the 2013 season.  TPG did play in the 2012 championships, and had one dominating victory themselves to start the 2013 season.  Could last nights game be a preview of the 2013 finals?  When the 2013 schedule was first released, everyone on team TPG circled May 2nd.  Why you ask?  KPF star pitcher Michael Linx is a "high arc pitcher", and for you newbies out there, that means he pitches the ball ridiculously high in the air, and manages to land them for strikes.  And last nights game was a bright sunny day on Heckscher 1, where the batter faces South West.  And since this league is made of Architects who - for the most part - have an inherent understanding of sunlight angles, we all knew that it would be literally impossible to see the high arc pitches as they soared through the sky.

But would this game be the defensive battle and pitching duel we were all anticipating?  We thought so.  Oops.  With closed eyes, sun glasses, hats, and what at times felt like small miracles, the TPG powerhouse would not be held down.  For the second time in two games, TPG LF Justin "I don't like to stop running" Aharoni (2-2 2HRs, 2BB, 5 RBI) blasted a HR in the first inning, and it was 2-0 TPG heading into the second.  A controversial fair ball call down the left field line by the umpire rewarded KPF P Michael Linx with a solo HR in the top of the 2nd, and it was the tight 2-1 game that everyone expected.

Batting in the bottom of the 2nd inning, TPG Rookie of the Year candidate EH Norman "Cricket" Ha (2-3, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI) smoked an RBI triple (this Australian cricket player had literally never held a softball before this season started), and scored on the following AB when TPG Rookie DH Bill "Wild Bill" Jenak (2-2, 3 RBI) knocked him home on an RBI single.

Stellar pitching by TPG P Derrick "The Mouth" Blocker held KPF to only one run over three innings, and TPG came to bat in the bottom of the 3rd leading 4-1.  With the sun at the worst possible angle, and batters guessing at every pitch, we are still scratching our heads at what TPG pulled off in their next at bat.  With 9 of the next 10 batters reaching base safely including a 2 RBI triple (should have been a HR but Derrick the 3rd base coach wanted to rest Simon's legs) by TPG RF Simon "Kung Fu Panda" Yeung (3-4, 3B, 4 RBI), Justin Aharoni came to bat with two outs and 2 runners on base.  And boom, with his second HR of the game (4th of the year in two games played), a 3-run blast, TPG put up a 10-spot and was now leading 14-1 after three innings of play.

The 11 run mercy rule was staring us right in the eye.  When KPF came to bat in the top of the fourth all TPG needed was three outs before KPF scored 3 runs, and the game would be over.  The first batter made an out, and now it was only two outs before the game was history.  TPG was merry, relaxed, and already thinking about the post game beers.  Somehow KPF rallied, and with clutch hitting scored 4 runs in the 4th to avoid the mercy.  Both teams played some defense, TPG was held scoreless for two innings, and KPF came back to the plate down 14-5 in the top of the 6th inning.  A few innings ago TPG was wondering if they had completely overestimated the ability of KPF.  But the top of the 6th changed that view.  KPF rallied  and scored 6 runs (a total of 10 unanswered), and we had a ball game at 14-11 heading into the bottom of the 6th.

TPG leads the league with an absurd 17 runs scored per game.  And our bats were not to be silenced any longer.  A 6th inning rally, including a 2 RBI single by Simon Yeung, and TPG ended the 6th up 17-11.  KPF put one final run on the board in the 7th, and the "pitcher's duel" ended as a 17-12 victory for TPG.

Statement Game.

Game balls go to Justin Aharoni, Simon Yeung, Norman Ha, and Bill Jenak.