Clutch 11-2016: Game Less Than Inches

Brought to fame and notoriety in the great Oliver Stone football movie “Any Given Sunday” was a couple of phrases. One of them of course being the title and the other was part of the speech given by Sharks head coach Tony D., played by the immortal Al Pacino.  The cliff notes version is that coach states that football, like life, is a game of inches. He says the word “Inch” 24 times in the speech. Of course that questions how many times it will be used here.

Though the analysis of football and inches is certainly accurate, it sort of kind of applies to all sports, though some more than others, and some where the inch(es) are smaller and have a larger impact of the game result. Knick fan probably remember the good time of that Allen Houston shot that danced on the rim for an eternity before falling in the basket and causing the team to win the first round of the playoffs and make it to the finals. No basket and they get eliminated. The same could be said for the Patrick Ewing “Finger-roll” play or the Charles Smith missed cupcake layup that costs the same team a playoff round win in various years.

Baseball is of course in this category as inches come into play in several ways, both from an offense and defensive perspective. Using the 10,000 feet view, losing a game in April because of one miscue play, ball bouncing left or the wind can lead to a team missing the playoffs and all the benefits that come along with that. Sometimes the inch, or less than, isn’t noticed because of its distance from the final result. There are certainly cases where it’s right there in front of your face.

Let’s first look at some real historical examples. There are literally thousands of examples, but for the sake of simplicity we will focus on one of Mr. Clutch’s favorite days, and a day subject to many of these blogs, October 25^th, 1986. A regular day to 99.99% of the general public and simply known as “Game 6” to the other 0.01%. On this historic day in Met’s (and Red Sox) history less than an inch decided the World Series, the future harassment of a player, created a hero and made a 17 year old fan pretty happy.

Mookie Wilson, Met fan favorite, stepped up to bat with two outs in the 10^th inning and the team down by one run. With the count 2-2, and the team down to their last strike, Mookie fouled off two pitches in a row. He kept the rally going and the Mets season alive by barely putting wood on the ball.  Those pitches likely just glazed the bat and were both a frogs hair away from a strikeout and a Red Sox World Series win which would of course end “The Curse”. Instead, there was a different destiny for Mookie and many others that day.

Bob Stanley stood to get the save in that game and become and instant Boston legend. Instead, after the Mookie two strike fouls offs, threw a wild pitch that tied the game. It was in inside pitch that caused Wilson to hit the deck. The pitch, which was “ball three”, was likely less than an inch away from the catcher’s glove. Just like that the game was tied. This scenario of course sits deep in the shadow of what was to happen next. Most amateur historians don’t realize that Stanley’s inability to throw a straight ball is really what caused the Sox collapse.

Any fan of baseball knows what happens next. After fouling off another series of balls, which again could of effectively ended the inning with a tie if those fouls are less than an inch misses, history would be made. It’s noteworthy that if the inning would of have ended in a tie the Met’s clearly would have the momentum heading into the next extra frame, but it still would have been anyone’s game. This is increasingly true because the Met’s star first baseman was sitting at the manager’s desk in the locker room getting loaded on Budweiser while this was all unfolding. A less than sober fielder may have swayed the advantage back to the opposition.

Mookie hits a bouncing ball down the first base line and the aging, broken down man with bad knees tried to make a play on the ball. Bill Buckner probably re-watched this play more than Clutch’s research department, or perhaps he never watched it all – but either way the result is the same. The ball, which appeared to have a mind of its own, snuck between Buckner’s right leg and glove, like a cat burglar through the night. The ball looked to glaze either leg or rawhide on its way to right field. Buckner became a goat and the most hated man in Boston with the possible exception of a star Laker. Less than an inch changed his life forever or at least until Bostonians would drop the grudge.

Game 7 had some, but not as much drama. The Met’s were down early, but nobody at Shea or home watching on TV was worried. Sure enough what really wasn’t supposed to happen did courtesy of less than an inch. The Met’s held on to win the World Series and the Red Sox did not. Dubbed as the best comeback in post season history, it was clear that a series of inch related events made that be.

Think about the post-game ramifications of under an inch here or there.  The famous Red Sox curse would be alive and well for another 18 long years. Evan then, less than an inch came into play. In the ALCS that year, the Yankees were up three games to none and looked like they were going to cruise to the World Series. Up 4-3 with two outs in the ninth of game four, the best closer in the history and future of baseball Mariano Rivera was on the hill. The result appeared to be more predictable than a cookie-cutter horror movie.

With a runner on first, Dave Roberts, now the Dodgers manger, was brought in to pinch run and immediately did that. He attempted to steal second and get in scoring position. Batting gloved hand reached the east side of the base a millisecond before fielding gloved hand swept across and made the tag. Less than an inch turned the final out into the start of a rally. The Red Sox would go on to win that game, and even more miraculously win the next three games to make the World Series.

The Red Sox, destined to set the Great Bambino trade to rest, blew out the Cardinals in four games straight and were finally World Champs. That said, life, like baseball is a game of inches.