# Did this baseball game really happen? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 11, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954 "2011-04-11T13:55:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/1 "2011-04-11T13:55:11Z")
When I was a kid, my favorite players were always pitchers, and, specifically Nolan Ryan and Dave Stewart. I have a very specific yet not fully realized memory of a particular game in which they faced each other. I didn’t see the game, but remember reading the box score the next morning, and being amazed at the pitching performances. It was an extra-inning game, they each went the distance, and each allowed something like 3-5 hits. I think the score must have been 1-0. I don’t remember who won. I found [this box score site](http://www.baseball-boxscores.com/), but it doesn’t have scores for the Rangers or Athletics. I presume the game happened in 1989 or 1990, during which Stewart’s 4-year 20-win-season streak overlapped Ryan’s Rangers years, but it’s not certain. Anyone remember this game, or can direct me to a better box-score site? Joe ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/2 "2011-04-11T14:24:48Z")
Anyone have a [baseball-reference.com](http://baseball-reference.com) account? The game finder on there could dig this up pretty easily. (Sorry, I don’t.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/3 "2011-04-11T14:34:22Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Anyone have a [baseball-reference.com](http://baseball-reference.com) account? The game finder on there could dig this up pretty easily. (Sorry, I don’t.) **RickJay** is the the most likely that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/4 "2011-04-11T14:34:46Z")
Stieb was with Toronto at that point. [Here’s a list of his results from 1989](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pitchinglogs.php?p=stiebda01&y=1989) and [here’s 1990](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pitchinglogs.php?p=stiebda01&y=1990). [Ryan and Stieb did pitch against each other on July 25, 1989.](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198907250TEX) Ryan went 6 innings and allowed two runs while striking out 14, and Stieb lasted 5 2/3, gave up only two hits, struck out two and didn’t allow a run. That’s the only time they faced off during Stieb’s streak of 20-win seasons, since Ryan was with the Astros in 1987 and 1988. Stieb got the win and Ryan got the loss. Stieb did throw six shutout innings against the Rangers in April 1990 and seven shutout innings in July 1990. He pitched against them a total of six times over those two years. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/5 "2011-04-11T14:45:01Z")
Closest I can find is this 9 inning [2-1 game](http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1989/B08220TEX1989.htm) (Oakland victory) that matched Nolan Ryan & Bob Welch. Ryan pitched a complete game in the loss, Welch pitched 8 innings with Eckersely pitching the 9th. Each team only managed 5 hits. Here’s an 11 inning game [5-4 game](http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1989/B07080OAK1989.htm) (Texas victory) that featured Dave Stewart as the starter for Oakland and Kevin Brown for the Rangers. Stewart went 8 innings, but it wasn’t exactly a pitcher’s duel. This was the only extra inning game the two teams played in 1989. Just one extra inning game in 1990, a 10 inning [3-2 game](http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1990/B06130OAK1990.htm) game between Charlie Hough & Curt Young. The only notable pitching performance in 1990 was Ryan’s [no-hitter](http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1990/B06110OAK1990.htm), but Scott Sanderson was the opposing pitcher that night. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/6 "2011-04-11T14:46:48Z")
I’m going through Stewart’s game logs, looking for complete games, or just games against Texas. Odd fact - he never pitched against the Rangers in 1990. Here are all the Stewart v. Ryan games ever: [Saturday, September 26, 1981, Astrodome](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU198109260.shtml) [Friday, September 10, 1982, Astrodome](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU198209100.shtml) [Saturday, July 2, 1983, Astrodome](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU198307020.shtml) Doesn’t look like it. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/7 "2011-04-11T14:48:25Z")
wheresgeorge04, who’s your team? In other words, if you had one of the pitchers wrong, it’d be from your team (i.e. Welch instead of Stewart). ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/8 "2011-04-11T14:53:04Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Stieb was with Toronto at that point. [Here’s a list of his results from 1989](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pitchinglogs.php?p=stiebda01&y=1989) and [here’s 1990](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pitchinglogs.php?p=stiebda01&y=1990). > > [Ryan and Stieb did pitch against each other on July 25, 1989.](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198907250TEX) Ryan went 6 innings and allowed two runs while striking out 14, and Stieb lasted 5 2/3, gave up only two hits, struck out two and didn’t allow a run. That’s the only time they faced off during Stieb’s streak of 20-win seasons, since Ryan was with the Astros in 1987 and 1988. Stieb got the win and Ryan got the loss. Stieb did throw six shutout innings against the Rangers in April 1990 and seven shutout innings in July 1990. He pitched against them a total of six times over those two years. Stieb? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/9 "2011-04-11T14:54:37Z")
I always confuse those guys. Even when it’s written in plain text in front of me, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/10 "2011-04-11T14:55:18Z")
Ha. On the off-chance he was thinking of a game I went to where Ryan faced Saberhagen (and the game lasted 18 innings - as did my dad and I), I looked it up. Check out this [boxscore](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA199106060.shtml). Ruben Sierra went 0-7, and Palmeiro went 0-9! ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/11 "2011-04-11T15:01:39Z")
The starters only went seven innings in that game? Did they also wear ladies’ undergarments under their uniforms as well? /OldHossRadbourn ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/12 "2011-04-11T15:05:43Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > The starters only went seven innings in that game? Did they also wear ladies’ undergarments under their uniforms as well? /OldHossRadbourn The only excuse I can think of is that they ended up shooting each other in a duel over who stole Julio Franco’s opium stash. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/13 "2011-04-11T15:06:40Z")
Thanks for the help. **Munch** , My team at the time was actually the (now-hated) Dodgers. However, I think **fiddlesticks** might possibly have found the game, in the Ryan vs. Welch score. Welch pitched on the same team as Stewart, and I certainly pored over every Ryan box score. I think my memory is mythologizing a game that never happened into the Haddix / Burdette game… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-baseball-game-really-happen/577954/14 "2011-04-11T15:19:46Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I certainly pored over every Ryan box score. Same here. Once I figured out as a kid that the one thing I could do well\* and really enjoy was throwing the ever-living hell out a baseball, I focused on the pitchers - Nolan Ryan especially. Then 1994 rolled around - Nolan was gone, the players gave up, and when they returned, all anyone ever cared about was the long ball. It took the SDMB and fantasy baseball to get me to fall back in love with the sport. \*“well” does not encompass the concept of “control” for the purposes of this sentence