In the bottom of the first inning of the game between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, Adam Dunn hit a sacrifice fly off Justin Masterson to put the White Sox ahead 1-0. That score would hold forever.
Indians Vs. White Sox: Jake Peavy Outduels Justin Masterson In 1-0 Masterpiece
That’s it. That’s the recap. Nothing else happened in the game.
Well, there was a little bit of a human-interest story in there.
That was the last pitch that Jake Peavy had thrown at US Cellular Field before Wednesday night. It looked bad, sure. But it was even worse than it looked:
Peavy walked into the training room and said he felt as though the muscle on the right side of his back was flapping at his side, just under his armpit. His stomach was queasy.In order for all the king’s horses and men to fix Peavy, medical science had to come up with something completely new, repairing a completely torn tendon that most athletes had only partially torn. There was no guarantee it would work enough for him to ever pitch in an extended spring-training game, even.
On Wednesday night, Jake Peavy threw a shutout, the fifth of his career. He threw 111 pitches, striking out eight without issuing a walk. In the ninth inning, he was pumping two-seam fastball past hitters, 93 miles an hour, striking out the last two men he faced. He threw with command, and he threw with power.
Jake Peavy, ladies and gentlemen.
In the eighth inning, Peavy left a fastball up to Orlando Cabrera, who ripped it to left-center. Brent Lillibridge, saver of games, chased it down for a sliding catch. That was the the threat of the night.
Justin Masterson pitched well too, going the distance, striking out eight, and allowing only five hits and two walks. He pitched better than well -- he pitched great. He pitched well enough to win in 99 percent of the games he’ll throw in his career, but he ran up against a buzz saw. The buzz saw had ligaments where his tendons should be, and Laffy Taffy where his ligaments should be. Don’t underestimate how unlikely this shutout really was.
The series continues tomorrow, with Fausto Carmona going for the Indians against Gavin Floyd.
For more on the Indians and White Sox, please visit Let’s Go Tribe and South Side Sox.
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