Blake's bluff draws balk-off win for Dodgers

[Renew Deal]

LOS ANGELES -- Casey Blake can count on one hand the number of times he has tried to force a pitcher to balk in a run in his career.

But James Loney's unsuccessful baserunning maneuver, which came just before Blake's genius -- that was as madcap a thing as Loney had ever tried on a diamond.

"That's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever done or seen ... in life," Loney said. "Not just in baseball. I was like, 'Who does that?'"

Blake broke from third base and drew the attention of D-backs reliever Esmerling Vasquez, who balked in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday night in a 5-4 Dodgers win.

It was the first time the Dodgers have won on a balk since Roger McDowell of the Mets drew the call on May 28, 1989, and the first time a Major League game ended on a balk since Sept. 8, 2008.
<snip>

The D-backs let the Dodgers score the final three runs of the game without an RBI.
<snip>

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100531&content_id=10659316&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Iggo]

1. I was watching that game...

...and I missed it because they had a close-up camera traveling up the pitcher's nose at the time.

Watched the end of the game and the entire post-game and still didn't get a clear explanation of how it was a balk. That 2nd base umpire sure looked convinced, though.

Either way, I'll take it.

THINK BLUE
GO DODGERS
BEAT THE HATED GIANTS

[Auggie]

2. Good replay at the link

THINK ORANGE
GO GIANTS
BEAT THE HATED DODGERS

:)

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Through the D'backs, God is punishing Arizona for SB1070

Why should the righties have all the fun? I can come up with ridiculous theories in which I assert to know the mind of God, too.

[Onceuponalife]

4. Larry Bowa is taking credit for the play.

He's 3rd base coach for the most wonderful team in the world. He told Blake to bluff running off third. According to Bowa...:applause: