BASEBALL HYPOTHETICALS #8

by John Burgeson

Puzzle #7 read:

David McCarthy, in his only baseball appearance, came to bat as a pinch hitter. On the only pitch thrown to him he hit a foul ball.

His Major League Record shows that he stole home.

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The foul ball was a dribbler along the third base line. The third baseman threw his glove at the ball; McCarthy was automatically awarded a triple and third base. He subsequently stole home.

How do you know you've married the right girl? For me, that moment of insight came on a cold April evening in 1959. Carol had been asked to deliver the keynote speech at a convention in Cleveland and we had decided to take in an afternoon ballgame beforehand.

Cleveland was tied with Detroit 2-2 as the afternoon wore into evening. There was a light snow. The time for the convention was near as the game went into the 11th inning. Nobody scored. As the 12rh inning bagan, Carol went to a phone and called the convention organizers. "Can't make it," she said. We stayed to the game's end, 15 innings. First things first. Baseball rules!

Puzzle #8:

The situation: Two outs. Two strikes on the batter, Jake Boyer. Paul Benson on third base. The pitcher winds as Benson breaks for the plate, stepping on the plate just as the pitch, a strike, hits him.

Is Benson out? How about Jake?

For the answer, see ANSWER


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