Help...George Scott question

[favemistke]

This has been driving me nuts for years...

Does anyone (besides me) recall a game vs. Cleveland in 1978, where Lenny Barker was pitching, and George Scott was up at bat?

Barker threw a wild pitch that went up the backstop screen and got stuck.

To the best of my recollection, Scott swung at it (it would have been strike 3), and, being a wild pitch, ran to first and ended up circling the bases and scoring..This is the way I remember it happening. Someone please set me straight. Thanks, Ed

[mvp 78]

http://letsgosox.blogspot.com/2007/07/lenny-george.html?m=1

[YAZMAN]

If the ball was stuck in the backstop it would have been called dead. The batter would get first base on the pitch, and wind up at second (one base) on the dead ball.

[Spitball]

The batter was Dwight Evans, and I was at that Sunday game against the Rangers. I have talked about it before on this board.

 

I am almost positive the bases were empty when Evans was batting. Barker was young and a hard thrower. He threw a pitch that almost reached the announcers' booth and rolled back down the net before landing by the backstop. Poor Evans had no idea where the ball was going but knew he couldn't see it. He bailed out and ended up about fifteen feet from the plate with his hand on his helmet.

[wetcamelfood]

Evans often joked that he should have swung at it so he could run but I recall Dick Stockton's voice on that play saying "3 runs will score" so I think the bases were loaded.

[Spitball]

Evans often joked that he should have swung at it so he could run but I recall Dick Stockton's voice on that play saying "3 runs will score" so I think the bases were loaded.

 

I really don't think there were runners on base... or at least in scoring position. I remember the pitch hitting way up on the screen (or net) that runs from the backstop to the broadcast booth. As I remember it, the ball rolled a little towards the booth before rolling back down to the playing field. I believe my attention would have been drawn to the base runners instead of Dwight Evans's comical reaction. Plus, even though it took a second or two to recognize what had happened, it would have been a wild pitch and the runners would have scored.

 

I am pretty sure it was 1977 or 1978, so a few years have passed. My memory might be clouded, but I don't remember base runners.

 

I remember Bert Campaneris was the shortstop for the Rangers that day. This was before ESPN, and I hadn't seen him play for awhile. I was really sorry to see how poorly he played in that game. He had gone from an exciting player to an old man sometime in between.