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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

The perfect game … that wasn’t (for me, anyway)

April 18, 2016

For six seasons, I covered short-season Single A baseball.

The team I covered was the farm team of the Detroit Tigers. That team has since left my area and moved to another place. It’s a shame, too, being the long history. Alas, that’s six years ago now, so have to move on, right?

In those years, I never had the chance to cover a no-hitter or a perfect game. The funny part is three times over the time I covered the team, this happened.

Three.

A New York-Penn League ball and a scorebook ... but not from any perfect game.

A New York-Penn League ball and a scorebook … but not from any perfect game.

Allow me to explain some things, though. Despite it being my beat, I didn’t travel for away games, and we didn’t cover Saturday games (we were a six-day paper). There were also other times that I would get send to cover other things, thus leaving the game coverage to somebody else or nobody at all. I guess that’s the bad part of a small paper and being a person who covered many different things that, well, others didn’t want to cover. So I would get sent.

July 15, 2007.

It was a Sunday. I remember that day well. The Tigers were playing an earlier game (5ish maybe?) and I wasn’t, unfortunately, going to cover the game. Instead, I was sent to cover the national motocross race that comes to our area once a year. Another reporter was sent to cover my beat.

It’s a decision I wish had never happened.

What happened was magical. Guillermo Moscoso, who eventually saw some time in the majors, went nine innings. That, on its own, is something special in the NY-Penn, where pitchers usually have a pretty tight pitch count.

But history was made that night as Moscoso threw just the second nine-inning perfect game in NY-Penn history. There, at that point, were only three total (including Moscoso’s) in league history. The last one had been a seven-inning perfecto, thrown by somebody in the same organization (then with the Yankees) in 1974.

As this was unfolding, I got a call from my editor to tell me. Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic leaving the motocross and didn’t get back in time to see the ending. Didn’t matter anyway as it would have still annoyed me that I was at a motocross that day and not covering … my beat. Unfortunately, the beat was always treated like I would have liked, but that’s water under the bridge.

Then in 2008, the chances were there once again. Not for a perfect game, this time, but still.

On June 21, the Tigers were no-hit by the Tri-City ValleyCats (three pitchers). That game was at home, but it was on a Saturday, so…

Just nine days later the Tigers returned the favor, this time to the Lowell Spinners. Three pitchers combined for a 2-1 no-hit victory in seven innings. Alas, the game was on the road, so once again…

To be fair, I once covered a perfect game in high school softball. I actually think I may have covered two. But it’s not the same. Not one bit.

The perfect game was on my beat and I was sent somewhere else. Nothing I can do now, but looking back, it definitely stings knowing how fun it would have been to be keeping book, taking notes and snapping a few photos as the game went on. Maybe one day I’ll get to see one in person. Maybe not. But I’ll always remember the one I missed.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

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Filed Under: Baseball, My world Tagged With: baseball, minor league baseball, new york penn league, no hitter, ny-penn, ny-penn league, oneonta, oneonta tigers, oneonta tigers perfect game, perfect game

4 Comments

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  1. Paul says

    April 18, 2016

    For some strange reason, I’m getting a sense of deja vú with this one, almost like you’ve posted it before. I can clearly recall commenting about my “almost” no hitters I’ve seen, both involving Nolan Ryan.

    Doesn’t matter I guess, as I enjoyed the read again. Look up Keith Olbermann on YouTube. He has an entire video segment about doing the same thing as you, missing several no hitters, including David Cone’s perfect game.
    Paul recently posted..InsideMy Profile

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      April 18, 2016

      There’s a chance it was mentioned, but I don’t think with as much research as I did on this one. I vaguely speaking with you about the Nolan Ryan ones. Somewhere along the line, I’m sure one of us posted something that got a response and more talk going.

      Side note, Paul. It’s a long shot — but I’ve been looking to see if I can somehow afford a 2-3 day cross-coast trip to LA to watch the Dodgers, and hopefully do some geocaching. I’ll keep you posted.

      Reply
      • Paul says

        April 20, 2016

        That would be very cool.
        Paul recently posted..InsideMy Profile

        Reply
        • P.J. says

          April 21, 2016

          Yep, I’ll keep you posted!

          Reply

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Writer who loves images just as much as words! In search of perfectly poured pints of Guinness and great hot dogs. Find me on twitter @softball29.

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We're up a spot in the polls and back in the Top 🔟! #BobcatNation

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The time to move forward is now.

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I will not apologize for getting emotional and a little misty in the eye on reflecting on this moment and the story of our nation.

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