Things you can do during a 20 inning baseball game

Johan Santana struggled early but quickly rounded into form and pitched 7 strong, shutout innings. Jaime Garcia stifled the Mets, not even allowing a hit until the 5th inning. It seemed likely that the first team to score would win the game, and FOX would have its shortest Saturday afternoon broadcast in quite some time. Well...maybe not.

Here's a fun fact. Did you know that if a game lasts 20 innings, you can watch the first 10 1/2 innings from the bar, leave to watch a movie, then catch the final 3 innings back at the bar? I found that out Saturday night. I also found out that you can play a 6-5 overtime NHL hockey game in less time than it took the Mets and Cardinals to resolve their offensive inefficiencies. That's right, the plodding, low-scoring NHL managed to score 11 goals while the Mets and Cardinals spun an additional 9 scoreless innings. I believe it was around the 10th inning when the Capitals versus Canadiens game kicked off.

All you need to know about the Debacle in St Louis is that the Mets woeful offense managed to scratch out 2 runs on 3 hits in the 18th, 19th, and 20th innings. Of course, those innings were pitched by Cardinals position players, and one of the three hits was by Mets pitcher Raul Valdes in his second career at bat. He was promptly thrown out trying to reach second base when the shortstop's throw sailed wide of first. I guess a win in April is as good as a win in September, even if it took 24 of the 25 players on the active roster and St Louis pretty much conceding the game after about the 14th inning.

The player of the game has to be St Louis' Ryan Ludwick who not only managed to get thrown out trying to score from second on a ground ball to the second baseman, he also managed to get thrown out trying to steal second with Albert Pujols at the plate trailing by a run in the bottom of the 19th. Pujols would promptly double and eventually score the tying run. Reached for comment after the game, a miffed Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said, "We kept trying to lose the fucking game, that team over there is terrible!"