Efficiency I - Both Teams Make It Count

Inspired by Friday's game, I'm going to do an "efficiency" theme, that is, getting the biggest bang for your hitting buck. I'm defining efficiency as the most runs per hit.

There have been only 12 games since 1969 in which both teams had more runs than hits, and only one in which both teams had two more runs than hits. This is the story of that game.

August 12, 2001
Boston 12, Baltimore 10

BOS   6  1  0    0  0  1    0  4  0  -  12  9  2
BAL   3  0  2    0  0  0    0  1  4  -  10  8  3

Today's Boxscore

Well, to accomplish this strange feat you need three key ingredients: walks, homers, and errors...and this game had plenty. The teams combined for 14 walks, seven home runs, and five miscues. Surprisingly, only four of the walks scored. The five errors were actually more important here: four of the five allowed a run to score. Also, you need bunch hitting. That is, some innings, it's hit after hit, and all others are practically 1-2-3. Here, there were only two hits in ten non-scoring innings, and 15 in the eight in which they scored.

Check out Boston's bizarre first inning. This is the sequence:

1. Garciaparra flied to right
   
2. Nixon was called out on strikes
3. Everett doubled to left
4. Ramirez walked
5. Bichette reached on an error by Mora
   
6. Stynes reached on an error by Segui
   
7. Offerman singled to center
8. Offerman was picked off first but was safe on an error by Segui
   
9. Lansing homered
   
10. Mirabelli popped to catcher in foul territory

Just your basic two-out, six-run, three-error rally. That's what happens when you give six outs in an inning! I love the ones that start out so innocently and then spin out of control!

Notes:

• Doesn't it look like Ripken hit a grand slam? His line is: 4 1 1 4. But he actually had a two-run double, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI-groundout.
• Tony Batista hit home runs off Rod Beck in the eighth and ninth innings.
• Jeff Conine went 2-for-4 with no walks or HBP, but scored three runs.
• Only one player had more hits than runs.

On deck: How many runs can you possibly score on two hits?