Brewers 2, Orioles 2 (will be replayed)
Brewers still 31-29 (4th)
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BALTIMORE — Brewers catcher Ted Simmons forgot how many outs there were. As a result, today’s game will need to be replayed.
It was a game they didn’t know would be played. Raining on and off, play was delayed in the third for 43 minutes. When the clouds momentarily cleared, the unthinkable happened.
With one out and runners at first and second in the bottom of the third inning, Pete Vuckovich struck out John Lowenstein. It was the second out.
Problem was, Ted Simmons thought it was the third out. Simmons tossed the ball to umpire George Maloney and headed for the dugout. Vuke, suddenly wondering if he were the one who didn’t know how many outs there were, took a second look at the scoreboard to make sure. The bewildered umpire, realizing he shouldn’t have caught the ball, dropped it to his feet. Meanwhile, the Orioles baserunners moved up to second and third base with two outs.
When Simmons finally returned to his spot behind home plate, Joe Nolan lined a single to center that was just out of Gorman Thomas‘ reach. It was a hit that would have scored one had there been runners at first and second. Instead, it scored two runs to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. Nolan was out trying to extend the single to a double.
The Brewers would score one in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Marshall Edwards and another to tie it in the sixth on a Robin Yount home run, but that would be it. Once Vuckovich retired the Orioles in order in the ninth, the two teams prepared for the tenth.
But no pitch would ever be thrown in extra innings. It poured. And poured. The tarps were brought back onto the field. Sixty-five minutes later, umpires called off the game.
It will go into the books as a tie, and the stats of the game will count. But the game will be played over in its entirety on a date to be determined. The Brewers next return to Baltimore on the final weekend of the season.
It’s a shame. Vuckovich allowed one earned run in nine innings and deserved the win. The team deserved the win. But the win won’t count because Simmons couldn’t.
Game Notes: Simmons refused to talk with reporters after the game … In his last 11 games, Roy Howell has raised his average from .167 to .253. Yet, he’s unhappy that he hasn’t been traded … The Brewers have committed 18 more errors at this point through 60 games than last year. Team ERA is also up from 3.67 to 4.20, and the team has allowed 21 more home runs.