For replay coverage of earlier Series games, start with The Pecan Park Eagle column of Friday, July 8, 2011.
HOUSTON 1 - CHICAGO 0 (19 INNINGS). HOUSTON LEADS SERIES, 2-0.
Jose Contreras fans 21 in 18.2 innings, but 174 pitches on the night, he still loses, 1-0.
In a masterful game of hit and miss that led to a new World Series record of most innings pitched by a single player, as well as most strike outs recorded by one pitcher in a single game. Cuban expatriate Jose Contreras persuaded White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen prior to the start to let him pitch Game Two as though he were still back on the island, trying to pitch his way to freedom.
It almost worked.
For 18 and 2/3 innings. Contreras held off every assault by the Astros to leave nothing but goose eggs on the top side of the runs-per-inning score board. His problem was easy to state. This was one of those days when the rarest rubber arm, great stuff, and masterful control simply were not enough. Starter Andy Pettitte of the Astros and the four guys who followed him also were on their game for a 19 K, six hit shutout of the host South Siders on another cool, windy, and damp evening in Chicago.
The scoring threats in Game Two were few and far between. The Astros placed runners on first and second in both the 2nd and 6th innings, but each of these early threats were wiped out by double plays. The White Sox got two men on base in the 4th by way of a walk and a hit batter, but also failed to take advantage. They also lost Jerome Dye for the balance of the game as a result of that high hard one from Pettitte. How ironic? In the top of the 4th, the Astros had lost Craig Biggio for the rest of the game after he was plunked by a 92 MPH Contreras fast ball. After Dye, the home plate umpire put out the warning against further bean-balling.
Pettitte tired in the 8th, surrendering a lead-off double in the right center field gap to Scott Podsednik to start the frame. The sharpness of the crack quickly brought Astros manager Phil Garner to the mound for a switch to Dan Wheeler. The “Mellow Man” then quickly retired the next three batters, two by the strike out route, to end the mild threat.
Once the game moved to extra innings in a scoreless deadlock, it hit one of those low gear phases that we often see with extended stanza contests between two tired, unproductive offenses. The fans stayed, but they had to make it into the late night hours prior to a working day, watching a string of “one. two, three and your out” innings.
Meanwhile, Senor C continued to mow down the Astros while Wheeler (8th-10th), Brad Lidge (11th-14th), Chad Qualls (15th-19th), and Mike Gallo (one final out in the 19th) held the Sox at bay.
The only scoring break of the evening came about in the top of the 19th. With two outs, Mike Lamb of the Astros lined a brutal speeding rope of a batted ball into right center field. By the time of its retrieval by center fielder Aaron Rowand, there was Lamb, standing on 2nd base with his hands on his hips and smiling.
Sox manager Guillen had finally tired of his pitcher’s “Island Nostalgia Day.” He yanked Contreras after 18 2/3 innings in favor of reliever Luis Vizcaino. Contreras left the mound reluctantly, but to the standing applause and cheers of those Chicago fans who had remained until 2:14 AM of the morning after.
Vizcaino then walked Adam Everett to set up a force play, but Brad Ausmus quickly followed by lining the first pitch he saw for a hop-skipping double down the left field line. Mike Lamb scored easily for the only run of the game. Adam Everett held 3rd on the play, leaving the potential out there on 2nd and 3rd for further damage. Vizcaino got Willie Taveras on grounder to Biggio, but the fatal bell had had been rung. Houston now had a monster, 1-0, lead – and they would defend it to one more three-out end.
Qualls came out in the bottom of the 19th to pitch his fifth inning in the game. He quickly got Carl Everett and Paul Konerko on fly balls to left and center, but then he gave up a sharp single up the middle to Aaron Rowand. Mike Gallo relieved and managed to get Pablo Ozuna on a lazy fly to center to end the game.
Chad Qualls (1-0) picked up the win for the Astros, with the save going to Mike Gallo (0-0, 1S). Stallion marathoner Jose Contreras (0-1) had to take the sack of this heartbreaking loss.
The Houston Astros now lead the Series, 2 wins to none for the Chicago White Sox. In 28 innings of play, the Chicagoans are now scoreless in 28 innings as the games head to Houston for an encounter in Game Three that features Jon Garland (0-0) of the White Sox facing off against Roger Clemens (0-0) of the Astros.
Games Three, Four, and Five (if necessary) will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
“When Jose tell me he can do it, I listen,” said Guillen at the post-game press conference. “He could have won the game too, if we had brought our bats, but so far, in both games, it’s nada. Flat nothing. I don’t know of any team that can win if it no hits.”
“Contreras was tough,” said manager Garner of the Astros, “But we were pretty tough too. Tough. Good. And Lucky. I’ll take those cards any time. Now it’s back to Houston and a chance to give it our best shot there. I like our chances with Roger (Clemens) pitching and a 2-0 Series lead,, but we will still have to settle things on the field – one game at a time. – Have you heard that one before?”
2005 World Series Simulation Replay Results To Date:
Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005, U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago: Result: ASTROS 5 – WHITE SOX 0.
Sunday, Oct. 23, 2005, U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago: Result: ASTROS 1 – WHITE SOX 0 (19 innings).
Tags: 2005 World Series Replay
The Pecan Park Eagle 
July 9, 2011 at 1:07 pm |
Does APBA not consider Pitch Counts? Diamond Mind Baseball would have surely pulled JC after 11 or 12 max innings due to pitch count.
July 9, 2011 at 1:20 pm |
Normally, APBA would have done the same, as they did with the Astros. The game measures fatigue, not pitch count. What we see here with Contreras was pure aberration from the norm. Instead of tiring, he just got stronger. That’s not so surprising when the game is set for dead ball era play, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it with contemporary play. Once it happens, all I can do is report that it did. We will have to see if it comes up again in Game Three, but I will be quite surprised if it does. APBA does build in the potential for performance anomalies. That’s what led me to the scripting of the “island nostalgia” story line as my fictional explanation of Jose’s big day. 🙂
July 10, 2011 at 1:00 pm |
Thanks Bill – your writeups are very entertaining. Your reply answered my next question if there were ERA’s of play which I assumed yes.