Angels Win on Iannetta Walk Off Hit in Extras

Finally!

Final Score in Anaheim: Angels 3 Mariners 2 in eleven innings.

Matt Shoemaker made an impressive debut for a team that gave over thirty starts were given to Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton. Making his major league debut in jersey #52, Shoemaker allowed two hits, walked two and struck out five without allowing a run in five innings pitched. The last two major league pitchers to strike out at least five in five innings without allowing any runs: Jered Weaver in 2006 and Jeff Weaver in 1999.

But the Angels bats fell silent to really make sure Shoemaker felt like a true member of the pitching staff. The eleventh man to start a game for the team, the 26th pitcher in an Angels uniform in 2013 and the 49th player to take the field with a Halo did not get any runs in support of his performance.

Six Angels pitchers would follow, each pitching an inning. Only one allowed any runs. With two out and two runners on in the seventh inning, Michael Kohn became a spectator as Mark Trumbo speared a sharp liner into the hole at 1B. Trumbo got up to throw to the pitcher covering but Kohn was eating popcorn and cheering his team on. The idiot was not covering first base, the runner was safe with no play and of course the next batter singled in two runs.

So it looked like Kohn would be the losing pitcher but int he bottom of the inning Andrew Romine drove in two runs on a clutch two-out single. Romine finished the game 3 for 4 with those two ribbies.

The game ended up in extra innings and with a leadoff walk to J.B. Shuck, manager Mike Scioscia had Howie Kendrick bunt with nobody out. The bunt worked but idiotically, so did the most predictable narrative since the last mask was pulled off a villain in Scooby Doo... Mike Trout was intentionally walked and Josh Hamilton grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Ah, but if you were waiting for the day that this madness passes, there would be no post-midnight debacle. After 11:00 PM in the bottom of the eleventh inning, Kole Calhoun hit a one-out single and with two gone Chris Iannetta hit a ball to the warning track dirt that scored Calhoun racing in around third. Cory Rasmus got his first major league win in relief, having pitched a 1-2-3 scoreless top of the eleventh with two Ks. Light That Baby Up, the Angels are a mere three games under .500 nine games to play and are not mathematically eliminated from the Wild Card race.