A third Capital Division hurler got an impressive win in a national tournament during the 60+ Roy Hobbs Sunshine Classic this week. David Plew of the Hobbs Knights (also of 55 Peppers) pitched flawlessly in a tight 4-2 win over the Mustangs. Miraculously, Plew dove full out for a bunt with 2 men on and no outs in the bottom of the 7th. Barely catching the ball (if he drops it, bases loaded, nobody out), comes up throwing to first and doubles off the runner there. The runner at second tags and bolts for third. The first baseman somehow comes up with a bullet throw and the third baseman blocks the bag. Triple play to end the game! Nobody at the tourney had ever seen it. All cause of Dave's hustle and guile.
Baseball!
Jim A
-- Edited by Jim A on Wednesday 17th of February 2021 06:55:50 AM
I can't count on two hands, so maybe two hands and ten toes, the number of times when I was managing the Peppers that I saw Dave make similar hustle plays.
Three or four years ago, we were playing at Legion field. Forget who. Remember only a sunny evening, a good hitter was up. No outs. I was at short, playing back, and Dave was at third, even with the bag.
The batter hit a slow roller toward me. If I'm Ozzie Smith, I probably make that play, but I'm not and I know I won't. The ball is just coming just too slowly to be anything but the deserved-to-be-cursed infield hit.
Dave didn't think there wasn't a play there. He took two or three leaping steps into space between third and the mound, dove with an outstretched arm, caught the ball just as his body slammed into the grass.
Wherein the laws of physics helped him. An equal and opposite reaction, and all that. He bounced up with the ball, threw out the runner, and went back to his spot, as if nothing had happened.
Of course, something did.
Congratulations to Dave, Jim, Bill and their team on a great win, with a Hollywood ending. Except it wasn't. It was real.
-Mike
-- Edited by mikehart on Wednesday 17th of February 2021 08:39:01 PM
