I saw the last few innings of this one. Lynn & I were down in the Austin/Round Rock area to see the Drillers play the Round Rock Express on Saturday. We went down on Friday, and after we got in from dinner, and a look around 6th Street in Austin, I caught the end of this one. Going into it, I figured we’d get blown out. David Wells always pitches good at the Ballpark against us, and Doug Davis was the inexperienced rookie going up against him. I figured we’d lose something like 8-1 or so. I was rather shocked to see the score 0-0 when I tuned in around the 8th inning.
Wells went eight innings, giving up eight hits, and no runs. However, Doug Davis was even better, going 8 innings, giving up only four hits, and no runs. For a change, our bullpen managed to keep it going – Wetteland pitched two innings, giving up just one hit, one walk, and nothing else. Mike Venafro came on to pitch the 11th, and didn’t give up a thing.
We managed to get to Billy “I have the stupidest beard in all of baseball” Koch for a run in the bottom of the 11th to pull out a 1-0 win in extra innings. A win this season is rare. A win in extra innings is even rarer! This was a spectacular ballgame, one I wish I could have seen in person. The game winning hit was by Rusty Greer, who delivered a game ending winning hit for the 17th time since 1995.
One funny thing – it looked odd to see the umpires in makeshift uniforms – their equipment hadn’t arrived, and one of them wore a Rangers cap. It looked silly. :)