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Today in Jays History: Three Jays picked off in one inning

Baltimore Orioles v Chicago White Sox Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images

39 Years Ago

I remember this game. I’m sure everyone who watched it remembers it.

Orioles left-handed reliever Tippy Martinez picked off three Blue Jays in the top of the tenth inning.

There was a bit of backstory. Coming into the bottom of the ninth, the Jays were up 3-1. The Jays scored a run in the third on a Garth Iorg sac fly. In the fifth, Lloyd Moseby scored on an error by Orioles’ third baseman Todd Cruz. And, in the top of the eighth, Barry Bonnell scored on a Buck Martinez sac fly.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, starter Jim Clancy was still pitching. A starting pitcher still throwing in the ninth inning seems like one of those things we only read about in the history books. Clancy made 34 starts that year, finishing 11, and throwing 223 innings. Clancy got the first batter out, then gave up a bunt single to John Shelby. Pinch hitter Gary Roenicke struck out, then Lenn Sakata walked, putting the tying run on base.

Bobby Cox brought in lefty reliever Dave Geisel. We lacked a shutdown closer that year. Randy Moffitt led the team with 10 saves, and we had 3 other pitchers with 5 to 9 saves. Geisel ended up with 5 saves. We really could have used a closer that year.

The Orioles pinch-hit their catcher Joe Nolan for Benny Ayala. Ayala was a bat without a position, but he didn’t have a good 1983 season, hitting just .221/.287/.404 with 4 home runs. It was a curious move because Nolan had come into the game to pinch-hit for starting catcher Rick Dempsey. But Nolan was a lefty hitter, and Ayala was a right-handed hitting pinch-hitter. And, down two runs, with two outs, it seemed unlikely that the game would go into extras, but no manager now would take out their last catcher for a pinch-hitter.

So, going into the tenth, the Orioles didn’t have a catcher. Sakata played catcher. He had had an 11-year career and played the position before or ever again.

Cliff Johnson led the top of the tenth with a home run off Orioles reliever Tim Stoddard. We were up 4-3. Barry Bonnell followed with a single. Out goes Stoddard, incomes lefty Tippy Martinez.

Martinez had an excellent move to first, but the Jays were all amped up to run on Sakata. Bonnell first takes off for second before Tippy throws a pitch. Tippy throws to first, and then an easy throw to second Bonnell is out. Pick-off caught stealing.

Dave Collins walks. Collins had 31 steals that season. Before his second pitch to Willie Upshaw, Martinez picks Collins off first.

Upshaw singles. Upshaw stole a base earlier in the game. He stole 10 bases that year, caught 7 times. We’d have been better off if he didn’t try. Bobby Cox is yelling from the dugout, ‘Don’t take a leadoff. Keep a foot on first base. He’s saying he will fire the first base coach if Upshaw gets picked off.

And, of course, he is picked off.

Cal Ripken and Sakata each homered in the bottom of the inning, and the Orioles win.

The loss dropped the Jays to 70-56, fourth place, 2.5 games back of division leader Milwaukee Brewers. The Orioles moved to 70-52, half a game back in second place. If the Jays held on to the win, we would have been in a three-way tie for second. It was a tight race, the Yankees were fifth, 68-56.

We ended up fourth, 89-73, 9 games back of the Orioles, who ended up winning the World Series that year.

It was our first year of being a reasonable team. In 1982 we were 78-84, so we were 11 games better in 1983. Our first appearance in the playoffs was in 1985.

Buck Martinez talks about the inning here:

The boxscore:

Toronto Blue Jays Table
Batting AB R H RBI BB SO PA BA OBP SLG OPS WPA Details
Damaso Garcia 2B 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 .304 .334 .383 .717 -0.100
Lloyd Moseby CF 4 2 2 0 1 0 5 .323 .381 .528 .910 0.096 3B
Garth Iorg 3B 4 0 2 1 0 0 5 .284 .310 .385 .695 0.042 SF
Cliff Johnson DH 4 1 1 1 1 0 5 .284 .389 .535 .924 0.438 HR
Barry Bonnell LF-RF 5 1 2 0 0 1 5 .314 .366 .458 .823 -0.074 CS
Jesse Barfield RF 4 0 2 0 0 0 4 .223 .260 .427 .687 0.004
Dave Collins PH-LF 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .272 .335 .329 .664 -0.012
Willie Upshaw 1B 5 0 2 0 0 0 5 .293 .359 .498 .856 -0.019 SB
Buck Martinez C 3 0 0 1 0 0 4 .251 .333 .444 .777 0.018 SF
Alfredo Griffin SS 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .255 .289 .356 .645 -0.127
Team Totals 38 4 11 3 3 2 43 .289 .326 .421 .747 0.266
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/24/2022.
Baltimore Orioles Table
Batting AB R H RBI BB SO PA BA OBP SLG OPS WPA Details
Al Bumbry CF 4 0 1 2 0 0 5 .269 .316 .346 .662 0.296 SF
Dan Ford RF 5 0 0 0 0 2 5 .282 .323 .448 .771 -0.244
Cal Ripken Jr. SS 5 1 1 1 0 0 5 .293 .356 .482 .838 0.345 HR
Eddie Murray 1B 3 1 0 0 2 0 5 .297 .386 .511 .898 0.045
John Lowenstein LF-2B 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 .260 .366 .423 .789 -0.158
Ken Singleton DH 1 0 1 0 2 0 3 .279 .399 .464 .863 0.091
John Shelby PR-DH 1 2 1 0 1 0 2 .254 .297 .363 .659 0.070 IW
Rich Dauer 2B-3B 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 .215 .287 .291 .578 -0.001
Gary Roenicke PH-3B 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .264 .326 .504 .830 -0.156
Todd Cruz 3B 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 .203 .247 .328 .574 0.040 2B
Jim Dwyer PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .294 .385 .551 .936 0.122
Lenn Sakata 2B-C 1 2 1 3 1 0 2 .238 .300 .347 .647 0.434 HR
Rick Dempsey C 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .235 .311 .328 .640 -0.042
Joe Nolan PH-C 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .278 .341 .421 .761 -0.154
Benny Ayala PH-LF 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 .215 .279 .409 .687 0.080
Team Totals 35 7 7 7 8 4 44 .200 .341 .400 .741 0.768
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/24/2022.
Toronto Blue Jays Table
Pitching IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BF GSc IR IS WPA
Jim Clancy 8.2 3 3 3 6 2 0 3.49 35 62 0.446
Dave Geisel, BS (2) 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.33 2 2 2 -0.547
Joey McLaughlin, L (7-3) 0.2 1 3 3 2 1 1 3.99 5 2 0 -0.373
Randy Moffitt 0.1 1 1 1 0 1 1 3.76 2 2 2 -0.294
Team Totals 9.2 7 7 7 8 4 2 6.52 44 62 6 4 -0.768
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/24/2022.
Baltimore Orioles Table
Pitching IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BF GSc IR IS WPA
Scott McGregor 9 8 3 2 2 2 0 3.12 39 61 0.035
Tim Stoddard 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 5.68 2 0 0 -0.363
Tippy Martinez, W (7-3) 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.50 2 1 0 0.061
Team Totals 10 11 4 3 3 2 1 2.70 43 61 1 0 -0.267
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/24/2022.