He's batting leadoff.
I thought putting Ricky at the top of the lineup would mean a couple of hits that would set up the heart of the lineup. Objectively speaking, he's hit quite well in this young season.
We were in for a tale of success and tragedy unlike any we had ever previously encountered.
This game was played at the Indians' home field, Cement Gardens. Cement Gardens is one of the more peculiar ballparks in the game. It's got an alley down the left field line that allows for ground-rule doubles and homers. Left-center is occupied by a tall building that will knock down just about anything. The only way to hit a homer in left-center is to land it in the dumpster on the fly. Center is pretty deep and the fence is decently tall, but it's not impenetrable. Right field is occupied by another extremely high building.
Ricky stood in against Christina Beattie and swung at the very first pitch, lining it to left for a hit. It kept going down the line, disappearing into the alleyway. I thought it would be a ground-rule double. Nope. It was a home run.
Ricky Johnson hit a home run.
Unfortunately, Slick Rick was once again one of the lone bright spots in the Melonheads' offense. Luckily, Kenny Kawaguchi matched Beattie pound-for-pound on the mound, and the defense turned a slick double play to end the bottom of the third, earning the 'Heads a power-up. It was Aluminum Power. You knew we were saving it for Pretty Ricky.
Ricky came up to the plate in the top of the fifth with two outs and a runner on second. It was a dream come true. For Slick Rick to even hit one home run was crazy enough, but here's a chance at a second! All he's got to do is make contact!
And boy, did he make contact. A towering blast to left-center ... and it couldn't even clear the building. A ball that would've gone more than 600 feet, and it couldn't get over the wall. It eventually landed behind the fence in center for a ground-rule double, which brought the score to 2-0. A line drive that hit the ground just past the infield went for a home run, but an Aluminum Power swing didn't.
Ok then.
Esther French put the Tribe on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a Little League homer. Even with shaky defense, Kenny kept the Melonheads on top. Ricky came up in the top of the seventh with two outs and the bases empty. Under normal circumstances, Aluminum Power would've been used long before Slick Rick made another trip to the plate. But this was his day. He was the star. After years of being looked down upon as one of the weakest Backyard Kids, it was his turn to take over.
Unlike the previous meeting between the Melonheads and Indians, Beattie was dominant. The only blemish on Ricky's side of things was a third-inning strikeout, one of 11 on the day for Beattie in a truly Kluber-esque performance. But she was facing the Melonheads' hottest hitter, and he had Aluminum Power on his side.
She had a massive concrete wall on her side. Ricky was once again held to a ground-rule double. Ashley Webber struck out, and the Melonheads were left without an insurance run. They were also left without Aluminum Power, but there was a Screaming Line Drive available. Naturally, it was being saved for Ricky. Most of the lineup didn't deserve the honor of such a powerful weapon. Only Slick Rick could control it.
The bottom of the seventh was an unforgiving one for the Watermelon Craniums. Back-to-back singles by second baseman Jim Thome and Beattie spelled the end of the day for Kawaguchi. There was only one man who could save the Melonheads now. RICKY. Asked to shoulder a load like Kenley Jansen in the NLDS.
Did I mention Jim Thome was playing second base? This game was so wild that Thome's role as a second baseman is a mere footnote.
Where were we? Oh yes. Ricky was on the mound for the first time all year. Rated 5/10 as a pitcher, Ricky owned a nasty Left Hook (for those unfamiliar with this wonderful game, think of a backdoor slider for a right-hander) but his other pitches were suspect. He'd need to pitch to contact and get some help from his defense.
That help would not come.
With Pamela Kirkos at the dish, Ricky induced a weak grounder that was mishandled by Kawaguchi, who had just moved to first base. Kenny was usually a stout defender, but Ricky would get no such help. The next batter, Ingrid Dahlman, hit a comebacker to Ricky, but there was no hope for a play at the plate. His best option was to throw to third, which he did to record the first out of the inning. Still, he needed two more and the Tribe had men on first and second.
Ricky stared down Jillian Paine and induced a routine fly ball to left-center ... but Gretchen Hasselhoff, mired in the worst game of her life, couldn't come up with it. To add insult to injury, a lousy route by an outfielder can't be scored as an error. She never even came close to the ball. Paine was thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple, and Ricky got Esther French to pop out to end the inning, but the damage was done. Despite Slick Rick's best efforts, Cleveland was on top 4-2.
The top of the eighth provided no support for Ricky. The 'Heads went down in order, including two by way of the strikeout.
It was up to Ricky to get the game to the ninth without any further damage. A two-run lead was definitely not insurmountable, but any more would be difficult with an anemic offense and Ricky's spot in the lineup five spots away.
Just as in the seventh, there was no support for Ricky. Randi Uno led off with a double thanks to Hasselhoff's poor defense. Ricky struck out Stephanie Morgan and retired Susan Gore, who tried to bunt her way on.
Then, tragedy struck.
Jim Thome's infield hit brought Uno home from third, stretching the lead to 5-2. As if that wasn't bad enough, Beattie then singled to right field and Kirkos loaded the bases with a tapper in no-man's land. That brought up Ingrid Dahlman. Ingrid sent a lazy fly towards right-center, but Maria Luna, one of the bright spots for the Melonheads, couldn't track it down. The bases-clearing triple stretched the score to 8-2. Paine popped out to end the inning, but the final nail was in the coffin and the coffin had been lowered into the ground. All that was left was to put the dirt on top of said coffin. The Melonheads went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth. It was a complete game for Beattie, who couldn't even make it out of the second inning in the teams' first clash.
W: Christina Beattie (2-1) L: Kenny Kawaguchi (1-2)
Through Ricky's tragedy, we learned something valuable. He's the hero we all need, but do we truly deserve him? He's more than we could have ever asked for, but we can't do the bare minimum that he asks for in return.
Godspeed, Ricky Johnson.
