I figured I'd post about this interesting episode in baseball history as a light-hearted distraction from the team's current woes.

The story takes place on August 24, 1983, in a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. Though they would take the AL East and eventually go on to win the World Series, at this juncture the Orioles found themselves in second place with a 69-52 record, a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Blue Jays had a 70-55 record, good for third place (they would end up fourth).

The Orioles, managed by Joe Altobelli, featured an offense powered by a young Cal Ripken, an experienced Eddie Murray, and an aging Ken Singleton. Their rotation featured such names as Scott McGregor, Storm Davis, Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan, and a rookie named Mike Boddicker.

The Blue Jays were led by skipper Bobby Cox and relied on the likes of Willie Upshaw, Lloyd Moseby and Rance Mulliniks to produce runs. Their pitching staff included Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy, Doyle Alexander and eventual four-decade pitcher Mike Morgan.

Toronto had won the first game of the series, 9-3, but 25882 fans piled into Memorial Stadium to watch Scott McGregor face off against Jim Clancy. The game started out quietly, as Lloyd Moseby's single was the only offense generated in the first inning. The Blue Jays started a rally in the second, putting runners on the corners with two outs following Jesse Barfield's single and an error by O's third baseman Todd Cruz. A fly out to right field by Alfredo Griffin ended the threat. Ken Singleton's walk in the bottom of the inning was the Orioles' first baserunner, but nothing came of it.

The third inning featured the first real excitement of the game. With one out, Moseby tripled to left field, setting up a sacrifice fly by Garth Iorg to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Following a walk and a strikeout, the Orioles sought to tie the game. Todd Cruz, atoning for his earlier error, doubled to lead off the inning, proceeded to tag up, reaching third on Rick Dempsey's fly to right. Al Bumbry then drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left field before a ground ball ended the inning. The Blue Jays were retired in order in the fourth and the Orioles found left two men on base in their half of the inning when future Brewers bench coach Rich Dauer flew out to center field.

In top of the fifth, Lloyd Moseby reached base again, drawing a two-out walk. A single by Iorg followed, moving Moseby to third. Todd Cruz then made his second error of the game, allowing Cliff Johnson to reach base and Moseby to score, giving the Jays a 2-1 lead. Barry Bonnell grounded out to short, ending the inning. Both offenses were quiet over the next couple innings, with singles by Barfield and Iorg providing the only baserunners.

In the bottom of the 7th, Clancy started to fade, walking Singleton (promptly replaced on the bases by John Shelby), Dauer, and Jim Dwyer (pinch hitting for Cruz) to load the bases for Joe Nolan, himself a pinch hitter for Rick Dempsey. All the maneuvering was for naught, however, as Nolan popped up to first and Al Bumbry grounded back to Clancy to end the inning. Nolan stayed in the game at catcher, Dauer moved to third base, and former Brewer Lenn Sakata came in for Dwyer at second base to open the eighth. Two singles and a sacrifice fly by Buck Martinez extended the Blue Jays' lead to 3-1. Six consective outs then meant the Orioles were trailing heading into the bottom of the ninth.

John Lowenstein started the inning by flying out to center. Shelby then bunted for a base hit. Gary Roenicke, hitting for Dauer, was called out on strikes, reducing the Orioles to their last out. In his first plate appearance of the game, Sakata drew a walk, the sixth issued by Clancy. Lefty Dave Geisel was then brought on to face the left-handed hitting Joe Nolan. Playing the matchup, the Orioles turned to little-used Benny Ayala, who promptly drove in Shelby with a single.  Al Bumbry, another lefty, followed with a single to tie the game. After Bumbry advanced to second on defensive indifference, Dan Ford was struck out  by new reliever Joey McLaughlin to end the inning tied at 3-3.

Gambling that his team would pull out the victory in the bottom of the 9th left Joe Altobelli in quite a fix. He had pinch hit for his catcher twice, leaving the cupboard bare at that position. Without any other options, he turned to Lenn Sakata, the former Brewer and classic example of a "futility infielder" to don the tools of ignorance. To replace him at second, he moved Lowenstein, who had last seen semi-regular time at second in 1973, in from the outfield. Ayala took his place in left and Roenicke stayed at third. Tim Stoddard came in to relieve McGregor and promptly gave up a home run to Cliff Johnson to make it a 4-3 game. After that rocky start, however, things got interesting. Barry Bonnell singled and Dave Collins came in to pinch hit for Barfield, prompting a call to the Baltimore bullpen for lefty closer Tippy Martinez.

Perhaps excessively eager to steal on first-time catcher Lenn Sakata, Bonnell took too large a lead and was promptly picked off and caught stealing. Collins then walked. He, too, apparently was too eager to swipe a bag as Martinez picked him off first as well. Willie Upshaw then hit an infield single to Lowenstein at second. Perhaps not aware of the fate of his two teammates, he also was picked off first for the THIRD pickoff of the inning.

Following that curious exchange, the Orioles came up trailing 4-3. Cal Ripken soon remedied that with a leadoff home run. After an Eddie Murray walk and a Lowenstein grounder to first moving Murray to second, John Shelby was walked intentionally to bring up Gary Roenicke. Randy Moffitt then came in the game in relief of Joey McLaughlin. Roenicke was overpowered, striking out for the second out of the inning. No more storybook ending could be written for this game than what actually followed. Lenn Sakata, the futility infielder turned emergency catcher, then came up to bat and drove a ball over the fence to give the Orioles a 7-4 victory.

An emergency catcher, three pickoffs in one inning, two rallies in the final inning and a walkoff home run. Only in baseball, folks.

Click here for the game's box score and play-by-play.