Sports Nut

Ghosts of Game 1 

Rany:

As I write this, Reggie Sanders has just smacked an RBI single in the third inning. Andy Pettitte’s already been knocked out, the Diamondbacks are leading 5-0, and with Jay Witasick pitching I think it’s safe to guess that Arizona will score a few more runs.

Remind you of another World Series game?

In Game 1, the Diamondbacks knocked out Mussina early, and led 9-1 after four innings. Many of us felt that Curt Schilling should have been pulled from the game after the fifth, which would have qualified him for the victory but also left him with plenty of arm in case he was called upon in Game 4. Surely even the Arizona bullpen could protect an eight-run lead for four innings, right?

Well, Curt Schilling pitched seven innings, and threw 102 pitches. This left two innings for the bullpen, and Mike Morgan and Greg Swindell didn’t allow a hit or run. If the bullpen could protect an eight-run lead for two innings, why not four?

Schilling threw 71 pitches in the first five innings of Game 1; as I said, he wound up throwing 102, which means threw 31 pitches in the sixth and seventh innings. Well, what if you give Schilling back those 31 pitches? Isn’t it likely that he pitches at least the eighth inning of Game 4, and perhaps the ninth? And even if he can pitch only the eighth, doesn’t Byung-Hyun Kim have a significantly better chance of saving Game 4 if he only has to pitch one inning?

While I was writing the above, the D’backs scored seven more runs. It’s now the top of the fourth, and Randy Johnson is taking the mound. If I’m managing, he’s already gone; I’ve got Bobby Witt out there, with Brian Anderson ready if Torre goes to the left-handed hitters on his bench. Because if Game 7 is close in the late innings, I’d sure like to have The Big Unit available to do what nobody else on Arizona’s roster has been able to do.

Postscript: FOX ran a poll, starting during the fourth, asking viewers if Brenly should pull Johnson early so he’ll be available for relief duty in Game 7. The quick results? Yes 64 percent, No 36 percent, which gives me a glimmer of faith in the intelligence of our nation’s baseball fans. (McCarver said no, but of course he says stupid things all the time; this is just filling his quota for the fourth inning.)