The Thriller in Miami

The chart is insane but it barely breaks the surface on this game:

– A combined 104 plate appearances, along with 22 hits, 17 runs scored, 18 walks, and 20 strikeouts; all in 11 innings.

– 16 total pitchers used, only three of which pitched two or more innings.

– The game featured more runs in the 11th inning that it did in the first seven innings combined.

– Jorge Sosa with back-to-back-to-back walks to A) load the bases; and B) score two runs in the 11th inning. Sosa walked four batters and got two outs. Not a banner night for him.

– James Shields making his first career relief appearance on his throw day and thus allowing the Rays to avoid having a pitcher bat after Jeff Niemann’s fifth inning strikeout.

– Wade Davis (the Rays’ projected Tuesday starter) warming.

– Andy Sonnanstine making an emergency appearance after throwing more than 50 pitches on Friday night. He entered with a one run lead and runners on first and third with no outs. Somehow, someway, he struck out Brian Barden, Anibal Sanchez, and then got Dan Uggla to fly out.

– David Price (the Rays’ Sunday starter) missing the game after being hit in the groin with a warm-up toss in batting practice.

– The aforementioned Anibal Sanchez pinch hitting – only in the National League.

– Hanley Ramirez hustling out of the box to get a double, then overrunning second and pulling his hamstring, causing him to leave the game and be replaced by Brian Barden defensively.

– Just a horrid display out of Jason Bartlett. Along with one of the worst plate appearances you’ll ever see with the bases loaded, he also flubbed a defensive play and messed up a slide within a span of three innings. Naturally, Reid Brignac, who had been solid defensively all night long, had issues with a routine grounder after replacing Bartlett at short.

– The Marlins batting out of order, which voided a leadoff walk, and lead to Fredi Gonzalez’s ejection.

– Not only did more than 20,000 supposedly attend this game, but most of them had vuvuzuelas which confirms that Jeffrey Loria hates baseball, freedom, and sanity alike.

– Do yourself a favor and run ten laps around your house while imagining a pack of invisible bees chasing you. Then read the play log. You still won’t come close to the natural level of tension experienced, but it’s about as close as you can get artificially.