Words and images by Joe Gray
The only week 3 National Baseball League (NBL) action on Sunday was a double-header between the HERTS FALCONS and the LONDON METS. These were the first ever top-level games to be played at Grovehill Park, the home of the FALCONS.
Back on the opening weekend of the season, the FALCONS won both games of a double-header against the CROYDON PIRATES, while the METS were swept by the RICHMOND FLAMES. Neither team saw action in week 2: HERTS had a scheduled break, while the METS were forfeited two games by the PIRATES.
Last Sunday, the FALCONS staged a dramatic comeback to snatch a victory in game 1. The METS were comfortable victors in game 2. The split announced HERTS as an NBL presence not to be underestimated in 2009.
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Game one: London Mets 8 Herts Falcons 9
LONDON’s Callum Woods led off the game with a triple and was driven in on a sacrifice fly by Ran Zeng, the second hitter of the game. Rob Anthony, batting third, drew a walk and stole second, but Nick Goetz, the FALCONS’ starter, was able to induce two more fly-ball outs to end the inning without another score.
In the bottom of the first, the HERTS FALCONS – seen by most spectators as the underdogs – took a surprising 1-run lead, thanks to run-scoring singles from Darrin Ward and Lin Yuchih. Ward has not played in the top division for 10 years, but between 1995 and 1999 he compiled impressive offensive stats (.386/.489/.640) for the LONDON WARRIORS.
After a scoreless second inning, the METS restored a 1-run advantage in the third and then added 1 run in the fourth, 3 runs in the fifth, and another in the next inning, to give them an 8-2 lead in the middle of the sixth. Jason Roberts, the LONDON starter, struck out the first two HERTS batters in the bottom of the inning but walked Luis Goncalves, batting ninth, on a full count, and conceded a single to Dan Kerry and a base on balls to Jason Greenberg, again on a full count, to load the bases. At this point, Roberts was relieved by Anthony
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Andy Cornish, the first batter to face Anthony, was hitless in three at-bats up to that point, but delivered a single to drive in 2 runs, making the score 8-4. This gave Kimiyoshi Saionji (pictured right in batting practice) a chance to reduce the deficit to a single run. However, a faked pick-off by Anthony to third base triggered Cornish to leave first and serve as an easy third out for LONDON. As the clean-up hitter Saionji watched the HERTS rally fizzle out in such a disappointing manner, it seemed that the FALCONS had lost the opportunity to cause a surprise in their home opener.
Kerry pitched a scoreless seventh for the FALCONS in relief of Goetz to keep the deficit at 4 runs. HERTS had just three outs left.
Saionji and Ward drew back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the seventh, and Yuchih then singled to load the bases. Anthony eased the METS’ nerves, though, by retiring Riley Fisher on a fly-ball to left field and then striking out Aspi Dimitrov. This brought Goncalves to the plate.
On a 1-2 pitch, Goncalves halved the deficit with a single and then stole second with Yuchih at third; suddenly, an unlikely victory now seemed like a possibility. Next up was Kerry, who drove the ball to the outfield, scoring Yuchih easily and giving Goncalves a chance to score the tying run. The throw to the catcher was slightly off target, allowing a grateful Goncalves to cross the plate standing up (see below).
With LONDON’s 4-run margin now evaporated, Anthony proceeded to walk the next two batters to load the bases for Saionji. This time the clean-up hitter would get a chance to hit with runners on base. He patiently took three balls and then a strike, but he took the bat off his shoulder to meet pitch five and ground it to the right fielder. Cornish dashed into second to narrowly avoid a force-out while Kerry crossed the plate with the winning run, which also gave him the win as pitcher. Anthony took the loss.
Woods of the METS and Kerry and Yuchih of the FALCONS all finished with three hits in the game.
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Game two: London Mets 12 Herts Falcons 2 (6 innings)
Callum Woods and Carl Randall hit back-to-back singles off Darrin Ward to lead off the game and then Rob Anthony hit a third straight single, driving in Woods and Randall. After Jason Roberts popped up to the pitcher for the first out of the game, Kyle Hickson (pictured below right in batting practice) doubled LONDON’s lead with a home run to left field. This was Grovehill Park’s first NBL round-tripper.
By the fifth inning, LONDON had accumulated 10 runs, and Ernesto Bolufer had prevented the FALCONS from scoring, which meant that HERTS needed at least a run in the bottom of the inning to avoid a mercy-rule defeat. They were able to do this, getting 2 runs, but the METS added 2 runs of their own in the top of the sixth and this time the FALCONS were not able to respond.
Bolufer struck out six over 5.1 innings, giving up three hits and 2 runs for the win; Woods got the last two outs on the mound. Ward pitched the first four innings for the loss; Kerry relieved him for the last two innings. Hickson was the offensive stand-out, going 3-for-4 (including that home run) and scoring and driving in 3 runs.
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Joe Gray writes for BaseballGB and also looks after Great British top-tier statistics, Project Cobb, and the Great Britain National Team archive.
