[Amazin69]

On the other side of Game 6, that Boston threat in the top of the eighth also included John McNamara's decision to pinch-hit for Roger Clemens, with one out and a runner on 2B.

Mike Greenwell (like Aguilera and Mitchell having a good career a head of him, but then just a rookie) went up, and struck out on three pitches. As Robin Roberts said to Lou Piniella after Lou struck out pinch-hitting for Roberts in what, for a long time, looked as though it was going be Piniella's only ML AB (this was the 1964 Orioles, Lou didn't make it back up until '68), "Sh*t, kid, I coulda done that." McDowell followed by intentionally walking Wade Boggs and unintentionally walking Marty "Temporary WS MVP" Barrett, setting the stage for Davey Johnson to bring in Orosco, but with Clemens out of there, the Sox had to bring in Calvin Schiraldi, who didn't exactly inspire fear in the hearts of the Mets, and not just because he'd been a failed starter with them the year before.

Schiraldi promptly gave up the tying run in the bottom of the 8th, got himself in trouble in the 9th (in part by wrongly trying to get the runner on Mookie Wilson's sac bunt), and well, we know what he did in the 10th. (To be fair to Schiraldi, that's his third inning of work. To be fair to the 1980s, that's what relievers were expected to be capable of, back then.)

But who is John McNamara going to bring in? Bob Stanley pitched a bit during the Series, but in low-leverage situations prior to this game because he'd been so bad as a closer during the year, and since the Sox were using a 4-man rotation (as opposed to the Mets just going Darling/Gooden/Ojeda and keeping Sid Fernandez in the pen), 4th starter Al Nipper was unavailable. (And he was Al Nipper, too.) 5th starter Tom Seaver was out with the injury that ended his career, and the bullpen consisted of Sammy Stewart, Steve Crawford, Joe Sambito (finishing up his career a year after the Mets had hung him out to dry in the 26-7 drubbing in Philadelphia) and a Mystery Guest. (Seriously, I have no clue who the 10th man on the Sox staff was that Series; he didn't get into a game, and there are no obvious candidates, based on in-season work.) So if we were in Boston, and Clemens wasn't being asked to swing the bat at a key moment, he'd stay in the game.

But because the game was in New York, and we were playing baseball, not DH-ball, John McNamara had to make a decision, add up the pluses and minuses of pinch-hitting here:

PRO

• We could really use that insurance run
• Roger has thrown 135 pitches
• He's got a blister on his finger, he's bleeding out there!
• Damn, we could really use that insurance run

CON

• He's 24-4. Cy Young winner. MVP. Had a 20-strikeout game this year. No 1985 Gooden [/pride], but almost as good.
• Have you seen our bullpen?
• He's allowed only 4 hits so far, 2 walks, 8 Ks. 91 strikes, 44 balls, just worked a 1-2-3 inning.
• Have you seen our bullpen?
• Pitch counts are for sissies. We didn't care about the pitch count in the 20-K game, did we?
• Have you seen our bullpen?
• The Red Sox haven't won a World Series since Babe Ruth was a pitcher; you're telling me to take out the best pitcher in the game when we have a chance to close out the Series and end all of this "Curse of the Bambino" bullcrap, once and forever?
• Seriously, have you seen our bullpen?
• So he throws a few extra pitches. He can rest all winter.

PRO:

• We could really use that insurance run, though.

If this is Boston, a non-strategic DH game, McNamara doesn't think at all; Clemens stays in. But, in the real league, under the real rules, Johnny Mac has to think, and he makes the wrong choice. Clemens comes out, the Sox don't score, Schiraldi comes in, Schiraldi blows the save, Schiraldi nearly blows the game in the 9th, the Sox score two in the 10th, Schiraldi and Stanley blow the game in the 10th, McNamara claims Clemens asked to come out of the game, Clemens goes red in the face, screams like he's trying to kill Mike Piazza (not yet, 'Roidboy, that's later), and charges at the manager's office, trying to break the door down. Sox lose the series, Clemens holds out to start 1987, Bob Stanley (of all people) is the Opening Day starter, Sox go belly-up, McNamara gets fired, Clemens eventually pouts off to Toronto, and it's 18 more seasons before the Sox (with Curt Schilling's bloody sock playing the role of Clemens's bloody finger) finally put "The Curse" to rest.

And that's why I (and others) love this game.