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raddison1972
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Okay, randomly this guys name came up today while I was at work. Took the time to pull up his early 80's cards on the interwebs to see that fine combo of big glasses and mullet and thought, maybe I should read up on this cat on wikipedia and thought I'd share a great story on there.
Hope it's true as the link is dead now:
Sakata was the catcher (a position he did not usually play) when Tippy Martinez picked three Toronto Blue Jays off first base in the tenth inning of the August 24, 1983 game at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The Orioles had replaced their starting catcher and his backup while rallying to tie the game in the ninth inning. Three consecutive Blue Jays hitters reached first base and each one, thinking it would be easy to steal a base on Sakata, took a big lead. Martinez picked off all three base runners. Sakata hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game.
Ain't baseball awesome!
Hope it's true as the link is dead now:
Sakata was the catcher (a position he did not usually play) when Tippy Martinez picked three Toronto Blue Jays off first base in the tenth inning of the August 24, 1983 game at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The Orioles had replaced their starting catcher and his backup while rallying to tie the game in the ninth inning. Three consecutive Blue Jays hitters reached first base and each one, thinking it would be easy to steal a base on Sakata, took a big lead. Martinez picked off all three base runners. Sakata hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game.
Ain't baseball awesome!