I'm still only in the fourth inning of a key contest between the first-place Haymakers (4-0) and the second-place Resolutes (3-1), but I had to put the game aside for a few moments to honor John Clarkson, whose tremendous 21-inning scoreless streak has just ended.
Here's how it all went down. The Resolutes are hosting the Haymakers tonight. With Clarkson going against Cy Young, it's a marquee pitching matchup. Both men were on their game, trading zeroes through the first three innings. In the top of the fourth, Bid McPhee, the Haymakers' second baseman, led off with a bloop single. Testing the strong arm of catcher Connie Mack, McPhee managed to swipe second to put a runner in scoring position without nobody out. Into the batter's box stepped my fellow Western New York native, Deacon White, who was hitless through the Haymakers' first four games; in fact, White had yet to reach base by any means here in Season 5. It was ironic indeed that White promptly lofted the ball into the right-field corner, motoring around the bases for a triple. McPhee, of course, had already crossed the plate, which brought Clarkson's streak to an end.
I'm sure the hometown Resolutes fans gave Clarkson a warm round of applause before the game continued. 21 innings without a run! (And it's 24 innings if we include his preseason action.) This was no Orel Hershiser-esque feat (59 innings!), but it's still by the far the longest scoreless inning streak in the five-season history of my nineteenth-century league. Watch out, Mickey Welch: Clarkson is still looking like the frontrunner for Pitcher MVP!
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