Some people say, in the end, it’s all about the numbers. Wins vs. losses. Who scores the most runs. RBI’s. K’s…all numbers adding up to who comes out on top. The Springfield Cardinals had a week where the temperatures in Springfield ranged well above 90 degrees every day.
So, in the spirit of numbers, here are a few…
August 8 (Tuesday)
- 440–number of feet Pedro Pages solo home run flew
- 17 and 2–Thomas Saggase’s home run was his 17th of the year and 2nd as a Cardinal
- 66–Arquimedes Gamboa’s 66th walk of the season, a record in the Texas League. Gamboa went 2 for 3 with two runs and 1 RBI
- 12–Victor Scott extended his hitting streak to 12 games
- 13–Pitcher Andre Granillo’s 13th save of the season
- 5-4–the score giving the Cardinals the win putting them back on top in the league
August 9 (Wednesday)
- 5:00 p.m.–the time when Mother Nature won and the game was postponed due to excessive rain and predicted severe weather
- 1-0–Mother Nature 1, the Cardinals and the Missions-zero
August 10 (Thursday)
- 8 Cardinals pitchers used including one rehab inning by Helsley and one by Woodward (both game up home runs). 5 Missions pitchers used.
- 11 innings with the game ending around 11:00 p.m.
- 14-9 loss for the Cardinals after coming from behind twice.
- Zero–the amount of time we should dwell on this game.
August 11 (Friday) Double header with game 1 being a rain makeup from Wednesday
- 7–the number of innings each game was as per rules of the league.
- 15-5–the score of the first game.
- 4 pitchers used by the Cardinals.
- 4th pitcher used by the Cardinals–Irving Lopez….yes, you read that right. He got the job done, however, the pitch clock had either been turned off or it was too slow to register. Now that’s taking one for the team.
GAME 2
- ONE–number of Cardinals’ pitchers used. Brandon Komar pitched the entire game and got the win. In addition, he picked off Cummings at first base.
- 3–RBI’s by Irving Lopez on a homer in the second inning.
- 1–number of skunks that had to be chased out of the stadium outfield. Yes, you read that right. They winner here was the grounds team who managed to get the animal out without getting sprayed.
- 4-1. Ending Score with the Cardinals coming out on top.
August 12 (Saturday)
- 19–Saggese hit his 19th home run in the 5th inning in addition to a stolen base, It’s a great day for Thomas to be a Cardinal!
- 5-4 Final score for the night.
August 13 (Sunday)
- 2–innings pitched by Woodford, giving up three hits including 1 HR and only 1 run
- 1–inning pitched by Helsely, giving up no hits
- 6–innings pitched by Gragg
- 2–number of runs given up in the 8th inning allowing the Missions to go ahead with a 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
The rest of the story…sliding catches by Irving Lopez, smart fielding by Chandler Redmond, Saggese joining the team and immediately becoming a positive asset, Noah Mendlinger hitting double after double, good baseball in sweltering temperatures, games that go into extra innings and players that “show up” for a double header the next day and give the crowd reason to never give up. Any day with baseball is a good day. And it’s not always about the numbers.
Patty Murray is a retired educator and life long baseball fan. She has lived around the southwest Missouri area her entire life where she enjoyed a 39 year career as a school counselor and teacher. Patty has a true love of baseball and started out as a Cincinnati Reds fan during the days of the Big Red Machine. She later became a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan and enjoyed watching and talking baseball with her dad, who instilled in her the love of the game.
Patty lives in Springfield, MO where she has the benefit of experiencing baseball at the AA level with the Springfield Cardinals and is currently a season pass holder. Besides going to baseball games, she is trying to figure out how to “be retired” and enjoys time with her three children and six grandchildren.
