OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

batted balls · 06-23-2006, 05:33 PM

August 9, 2006

Berkley, Calif.--How close to perfection did Arizona left-hander Dave Rajsich come?

"A split second and about three inches," said Arizona short stop Eddie Leon after Cal pinch-hitter Chris Clapinski's hard ground ball eluded his glove to ruin Rajsich's bid for a pefect game.

The hit came with two outs in the ninth inning of Arizona's 3-0 victory over Cal. Rajsich then gave way to reliever Gil Heredia who gave up a single to Jerry Goff, another Cal pinch-hitter. Heredia departed in favor of Rich Hinton who got Bob Melvin to ground out, preserving the Arizona win and recording his second save of the season.

"I gave it everything I had," said Rajsich. "Sure, it's frustrating to come so close. But you've got to give credit to their pinch-hitter also."

Rajsich, 4-6, struck out three and used just 83 pitches. Prior to Clapinski's single the closest Cal came to a hit occured in the fifth inning when Bear short stop Geoff Blum blooped a soft pop up into short right field. Arizona second baseman Jason Bates made a diving catch to keep the perfect game intact.

Wildcat catcher Ron Hassey had given Arizona a 2-0 lead in the top half of the fifth with a two-out single off loser Bill "Bugs" Werle. Arizona added a third run on a Dave Stegman infield hit in the ninth. Werle, 7-10, took the loss.

Clapinski, a .256 hitter, ended the perfect game bid on a 1-1 fastball.

"I just tried to hit the ball hard somewhere," Clapinski said. "I didn't see it, but my teammates on the bench said Leon just missed making a diving stop. Could he have thrown me out? We'll never know, but it probably would have been close."

Close enough for perfection.

06-23-2006, 05:33 PM	#110 (permalink)
batted balls All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: White Sox Country Posts: 1,319 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Arizona's Rajsich Comes Within an Out of Perfection August 9, 2006 Berkley, Calif.--How close to perfection did Arizona left-hander Dave Rajsich come? "A split second and about three inches," said Arizona short stop Eddie Leon after Cal pinch-hitter Chris Clapinski's hard ground ball eluded his glove to ruin Rajsich's bid for a pefect game. The hit came with two outs in the ninth inning of Arizona's 3-0 victory over Cal. Rajsich then gave way to reliever Gil Heredia who gave up a single to Jerry Goff, another Cal pinch-hitter. Heredia departed in favor of Rich Hinton who got Bob Melvin to ground out, preserving the Arizona win and recording his second save of the season. "I gave it everything I had," said Rajsich. "Sure, it's frustrating to come so close. But you've got to give credit to their pinch-hitter also." Rajsich, 4-6, struck out three and used just 83 pitches. Prior to Clapinski's single the closest Cal came to a hit occured in the fifth inning when Bear short stop Geoff Blum blooped a soft pop up into short right field. Arizona second baseman Jason Bates made a diving catch to keep the perfect game intact. Wildcat catcher Ron Hassey had given Arizona a 2-0 lead in the top half of the fifth with a two-out single off loser Bill "Bugs" Werle. Arizona added a third run on a Dave Stegman infield hit in the ninth. Werle, 7-10, took the loss. Clapinski, a .256 hitter, ended the perfect game bid on a 1-1 fastball. "I just tried to hit the ball hard somewhere," Clapinski said. "I didn't see it, but my teammates on the bench said Leon just missed making a diving stop. Could he have thrown me out? We'll never know, but it probably would have been close." Close enough for perfection. Attached Images __________________ White Sox fan since 1972 Last edited by batted balls; 06-23-2006 at 05:43 PM.