Spitballer Walsh Perfects His Art
Pittsburgh Pirates
by "Shakey" McGuiness
Legends League correspondent
Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball
Pittsburgh
- Here on this last day of August the home town Bucs were facing off
against one of their Division rivals, the New York Giants in the second
of a four game series. Having lost the first game on a ninth inning
single that traveled no more than sixty feet, six inches, the Buccos
were prepared to battle right to the end once again. And Walsh himself
had been a victim of a ninth inning rally while losing his last start
by a 1-0 score at Keokuk in his last time out. So nobody was looking at
this as just another game. Luckily for them, spit baller Eddie Walsh
made things very easy for them. But today, no last minute rallies were
forthcoming for the Giants, nor were they needed for the Pirates either.
The Bucs tallied three runs in the third with one of their typical
rallies - a collection of extra bases hits bunched together. The
big blows today were a two run Pop Lloyd double and a long triple by
relative new comer Big Ed Delahanty. That was all Eddie needed. In
fact, he didn't need nearly that much, for today Mr. Walsh was Mr.
Perfect. You read that correctly. He was perfect on this day - 27
Giants picked up their lumber and strode to the plate today, and 27
lugged that piece of wood back to the dugout, having made out. There
were no Randy Johnson fireworks involved - he only whiffed two Jints on
the day - but he simply put the batters quietly aside one after the
other, until there were no more batters left to conquer. Walsh's
perfection seemed almost efortless. The first perfect game in ATL
history, and third no-hitter overall was in the books after just 80
pitches from the Pittsburgh hurler. With the Mets hanging tough, and
the these same Giants making a charge themselves, this game was no
meaningless contest, either. The Bucs needed to keep winning, and Walsh
did his part - to perfection.
(Editor's Note: As Wahoo Sam Crawford said of Ed Walsh: "I
think the ball disintegrated on the way to the plate and the catcher
put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate it was
just the spit.")
8/31/2004, NYG05-PIT05, Forbes Field (1932-46)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2005 Giants 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2005 Pirates 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 x 4 7 0 7 0
Giants AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB
Smith,O ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 2 4 0 0
Scales 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270 3 5 0 0
Musial lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282 1 0 0 0
Killebrew 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235 0 1 0 0
Stargell 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 12 0 0 0
Heilmann rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .289 0 0 0 0
Thomson cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 2 0 0 0
O'Doul ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .455 0 0 0 0
Bench c 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .191 4 1 0 0
Pesky ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .252 0 0 0 0
Valenzuela p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .156 0 0 0 0
Nichols p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .071 0 2 0 0
Lyle p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0
Hack ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429 0 0 0 0
27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 14 0 0
Pirates AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB
Carey cf 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .295 5 0 0 0
Lloyd ss 4 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .320 1 6 0 0
Delahanty,E rf 4 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .260 0 0 0 0
Hornsby 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .297 0 7 0 0
McDougald 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .320 1 0 0 0
Mize 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .272 15 1 0 0
Burkett,Je lf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .357 1 0 0 0
Francis 3b 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 1 2 0 0
Hartnett c 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256 2 0 0 0
Walsh p 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .229 1 1 0 0
29 4 7 4 3 1 0 6 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 27 17 0 0
Giants INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA
Valenzuela L 4-12 4.1 4 3 3 3 4 80 46 20 0 0 0 0 0 6.88
Nichols 2.1 3 1 1 2 0 42 23 11 0 0 0 0 0 4.55
Lyle 1.1 0 0 0 1 0 16 8 4 0 0 0 0 1 3.69
8.0 7 4 4 6 4 138 77 35 0 0 0 0 1
Pirates INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA
Walsh W 12-6 9.0 0 0 0 0 2 80 57 27 0 0 0 0 0 2.87
9.0 0 0 0 0 2 80 57 27 0 0 0 0 0
NYG: O'Doul batted for Thomson in the 9th
Pesky batted for Bench in the 9th
Hack batted for Lyle in the 9th
PIT: McDougald inserted at 2b in the 9th
GWRBI: Lloyd
Fernando Valenzuela was injured for this game and 14 more days
Temperature: 82, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: in from right at 14 MPH.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2005 Giants 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2005 Pirates 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 x 4 7 0 7 0
Score O Rnr BS Event
----- - --- -- -----
************** Top of the 1st inning, Giants batting
0-0 0 --- 00 Smith,O grounded out to short (X)
0-0 1 --- 02 Scales grounded out to second (CSFX)
0-0 2 --- 12 Musial flied out to center (FSBX)
************** Bottom of the 1st inning, Pirates batting
0-0 0 --- 22 Carey grounded out to second (BBSSX)
0-0 1 --- 12 Lloyd lined out to second (CSBX)
0-0 2 --- 22 Delahanty,E grounded out to second (BCBFX)
************** Top of the 2nd inning, Giants batting
0-0 0 --- 00 Killebrew flied out to center (X)
0-0 1 --- 12 Stargell grounded out to second (BCFX)
0-0 2 --- 00 Heilmann grounded out to short (X)
************** Bottom of the 2nd inning, Pirates batting
0-0 0 --- 12 Hornsby grounded out to short (BSCX)
0-0 1 --- 02 Mize struck out (SSS)
0-0 2 --- 11 Burkett,Je grounded out to second (FBX)
************** Top of the 3rd inning, Giants batting
0-0 0 --- 11 Thomson grounded out to second (FBX)
0-0 1 --- 10 Bench lined out to center (BX)
0-0 2 --- 12 Valenzuela grounded out to second (FFBX)
************** Bottom of the 3rd inning, Pirates batting
0-0 0 --- 10 Francis grounded out to short (BX)
0-0 1 --- 22 Hartnett grounded out to short (CBBSX)
0-0 2 --- 32 Walsh lined a double to right center (BBSSBX)
0-0 2 -2- 31 Carey walked (BBBCB)
0-0 2 12- 12 Lloyd grounded a double down the first base line, Walsh
scored, Carey scored (BFCX)
0-2 2 -2- 20 Delahanty,E tripled deep to right center, Lloyd scored
(BBX)
0-3 2 --3 11 Hornsby lined out to center (BFX)
************** Top of the 4th inning, Giants batting
0-3 0 --- 32 Smith,O grounded out to second (BBBCFX)
0-3 1 --- 00 Scales grounded out to the mound (X)
0-3 2 --- 12 Musial grounded out to second (FFBX)
************** Bottom of the 4th inning, Pirates batting
0-3 0 --- 21 Mize flied out to center (CBBX)
0-3 1 --- 32 Burkett,Je walked (BCBFFBB)
0-3 1 1-- 20 Francis lined a single between first and second,
Burkett,Je to third (BBX)
0-3 1 1-3 02 Hartnett struck out (C13CS)
0-3 2 1-3 02 Walsh struck out (CFS)
************** Top of the 5th inning, Giants batting
0-3 0 --- 22 Killebrew grounded out to short (BBCSX)
0-3 1 --- 11 Stargell lined out to center (BCX)
0-3 2 --- 01 Heilmann flied out to center (FX)
************** Bottom of the 5th inning, Pirates batting
0-3 0 --- 30 Carey walked (BbBBB)
0-3 0 1-- 12 Lloyd struck out (Fb1SBC)
Valenzuela left the game with an injury
Nichols now pitching
0-3 1 1-- 20 Delahanty,E lined out to left (1BpBX)
0-3 2 1-- 12 Hornsby grounded out to third (CFBX)
************** Top of the 6th inning, Giants batting
0-3 0 --- 01 Thomson grounded out to short (CX)
0-3 1 --- 12 Bench struck out (BCFS)
0-3 2 --- 21 Nichols lined out to third (CBBX)
************** Bottom of the 6th inning, Pirates batting
0-3 0 --- 32 Mize walked (BBSSBB)
0-3 0 1-- 00 Burkett,Je grounded to second, forcing Mize at second,
Burkett,Je to first (X)
0-3 1 1-- 00 Burkett,Je was caught stealing second (>S)
0-3 2 --- 32 Francis walked (>S.FBBFBFB)
0-3 2 1-- 00 Hartnett grounded a double down the first base line,
Francis scored (X)
0-4 2 -2- 01 Walsh popped out to first (CX)
************** Top of the 7th inning, Giants batting
0-4 0 --- 20 Smith,O flied out to left (BBX)
0-4 1 --- 12 Scales grounded out to short (CBSFX)
0-4 2 --- 01 Musial popped out to short (CX)
************** Bottom of the 7th inning, Pirates batting
0-4 0 --- 32 Carey grounded out to the mound (FbBBSBX)
0-4 1 --- 21 Lloyd grounded out to the mound (BBCX)
0-4 2 --- 12 Delahanty,E lined a single up the middle (CBSX)
0-4 2 1-- 20 Hornsby grounded a single between first and second,
Delahanty,E to third (BBX)
Lyle now pitching
0-4 2 1-3 11 Mize popped out to short (CBX)
************** Top of the 8th inning, Giants batting
0-4 0 --- 12 Killebrew struck out (BCFS)
0-4 1 --- 10 Stargell grounded out to first (BX)
0-4 2 --- 21 Heilmann grounded out to second (BCBX)
************** Bottom of the 8th inning, Pirates batting
0-4 0 --- 32 Burkett,Je walked (BCBSBB)
0-4 0 1-- 21 Francis grounded into a double play, Lyle to Scales to
Stargell (CBBX)
0-4 2 --- 11 Hartnett grounded out to short (CBX)
************** Top of the 9th inning, Giants batting
McDougald now playing second base
O'Doul pinch hitting for Thomson
0-4 0 --- 00 O'Doul popped out to second (X)
Pesky pinch hitting for Bench
0-4 1 --- 01 Pesky grounded out to third (CX)
Hack pinch hitting for Lyle
0-4 2 --- 10 Hack grounded out to third (BX)
