May 2, 2009 seemed like just another ballgame at Coca-Cola Park but with a record of 10 wins and 11 losses the Ironpigs were on the brink of history. Entering the second month of their second full season, the Ironpigs were known for one thing, losing. But on this balmy Saturday night, for the first time in franchise history, a .500 record was within their grasp. Standing in the way was one of the most storied franchises in minor league baseball, the Toledo Mud Hens. The temperature at gametime was in the mid-60’s and there was a mild breeze. Most of the 8,375 in attendance were there for the Men’s T-shirt giveaway but the true diehard fans were hoping to see the Ironpigs reach their impossible dream.
On the mound for the Ironpigs was Drew Carpenter, probably their most consistent starter in 2009. He seemed up to the task by retiring the Mud Hens in order, striking out two in the top of the first. Rich Thompson led off the bottom of the first with a double and stole third after Jason Donald flied out. Mike Cervenak followed with a single scoring Thompson from third.
Carpenter struggled in the second inning. Jeff Larish led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. With 2 outs, Mike Hessman walked. Larish and Hessman both scored on a triple by Will Rhymes. It would be the first of several key triples by the Mud Hens.
The Ironpigs went quietly in the bottom of the inning and Carpenter settled down to retire Toledo 1-2-3 in the third. In the bottom of the third, Mike Cervenak and Andy Tracy drew two-out walks and John Mayberry followed with a single to drive in Cervenak with the tying run.
Jeff Larish led off the 4th for Toledo and doubled to center field. A double by Clete Thomas drove in Larish to put Toledo up 3-2.
The 5th inning saw each team score a run. Jeff Larish drove in a run for Toledo with a basehit to center and Cervenak drove in Jason Donald after he walked and stole second.
Steve Green replaced Carpenter on the mound in the 6th inning and allowed 2 runs on a double by Max St. Pierre. The Pigs fought back with a 3 spot in the bottom of the inning. Jeremy Slaydon (double), Rich Thompson (triple) and Jason Donald (single) each had an RBI. After 6 innings the score was 6-6.
Tyler Walker replaced Green on the mound in the 7th. Both teams got 2 runners on base but failed to score. Cedrick Bowers came in to pitch the 8th and issued one out walks to Max St. Pierre and Ryan Roberson. Don Kelly was put in to run for St. Pierre and he scored the go ahead run when Danny Worth singled to center. Kelly remained in the game in left field. It would turn out to be the single most important move in the game.
Coming in to bat in the bottom of the 8th, the Ironpigs now trailed 7-6. Toledo brought in pitcher Freddy Dolsi to pitch the 8th inning. The first 2 batters he faced got on base. J.J. Furmaniak was hit by a pitch and Rich Thompson walked. Jason Donald tried to bunt them over but Furmaniak was thrown out at third. Mike Cervenak followed with a single to score Thompson from second with Donald moving to third while Cervenak took second on a throwing error. The score was now 7-7 and the Ironpigs had runners on 2nd and 3rd with just 1 out and Andy Tracy due up. To everyones dismay, Tracy was issued an intentional walk to load the bases. The strategy backfired as Mayberry followed with a single to score Donald. With the bases still loaded, David Newhan walked to force home Mike Cervenak. After a pitching change, Paul Hoover ripped a double to right field scoring Tracy and Mayberry. After the smoke had cleared, 5 runs had crossed the plate and the Ironpigs held a commanding 11-7 lead with only one more inning to play.
Ninth inning: enter Gary Majewski.
Brent Clevlen leads off with a homerun to right field making the score 11-8. Mike Hessman singles and Will Rhymes walks. That brought Don Kelly up to bat for the first time after entering the game as a pinch runner. Kelly rips a triple to center field scoring 2 runs and Dusty Ryan follows with a single to bring home Kelly with the tying run. Score tied, 11-11 after 9 innings as the Ironpigs fail to score in their half of the 9th despite singles by Cervenak and Tracy.
Mike Koplove replaces Majewski in the 10th inning. Jeff Larish leads off with a single to right but he is forced out at second when Brent Cleven fails to bunt him over. Clete Thomas then reached on an error by David Newhan, moving Cleven to second. Mike Hessman then pops out for what would have been the third out if not for the error. Will Rhymes then drew a 2 out walk to load the bases for Don Kelly. For the second straight inning Kelly triples to clear the bases. 3 runs score, all unearned.
The Ironpigs didn’t score in the bottom of the 10th and the home crowd went home disappointed as the Ironpigs dropped a heartbreaker to the Mudhens in 10 innings 14-11, but more importantly, it dropped their record to 10-12 after being so close to 11-11.
The game ended at approximately 11:25 PM after 4 hours and 18 minutes. Mike Cervenak had four hits for the Ironpigs while Rich Thompson, Andy Tracy, and John Mayberry added 2 each. Jeff Larish had 3 hits for the Mud Hens and appears to like hitting at Coca-Cola Park. 4 others had 2 hits each, most notably Don Kelly who had a big 2 run triple in the 9th and a 3 run triple in the 10th after entering the game as a pinch runner in the 8th inning. And after blowing that 4 run lead in the 9th inning, Gary Majewski would never be the same.
It would be another 2 months before the Ironpigs would finally reach the .500 mark. It happened in late June when they broke up a no-hit bid by Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman in the 7th inning and defeated the Norfolk Tides 6-1. It moved their record to 38-38 and came in franchise game number 220. After 3 years and 432 games, they are still striving for a record that shows more wins than losses.
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