By now, you’ve probably seen the replay: Bases loaded, 3-2 count, two out, Nationals trailing the Giants 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Randy Johnson’s 300th win on the line.
Adam Dunn takes a low fastball from Brian Walker, and home plate Tim Timmons pauses for a second, while Dunn takes a few steps toward first base, and calls strike three. Dunn turned around, pitched his batting helmet toward the dugout and questioned the call.
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Asked about it after the second game of the doubleheader (which the Nats lost 4-1 in six innings), here’s what Dunn had to say. The exchange is rife with deadpan humor, so I’ll just run it as it happened:
What’d you think of strike three? “Uh, good pitch.”
Good pitch? “Sure.” Good pitcher’s pitch? “Yeah.”
Seen the replay of that pitch at all? “Nope. Don’t need to. Good pitch.”
What’d you tell the umpire; obviously you disagreed with the call. “What’d I tell him? I didn’t tell him anything. I asked him, and he gave me a response.” Then, “You want to know, don’t you? It’s killing you. No chance.”
Do you think the historical implications of the pitch might have factored in? “No. I don’t think so. I think that was just—no, I don’t think so. I mean, come on, Tim’s not going to think that quick. He’s not going to think about that. He thought it was a strike, and therefore it was a strike.”
Then, Dunn said, “Golly, Tim’s going to be so mad at me.”
It’s going to be all the reporters’ fault, right? “Hey, I didn’t write it.”
Asked later about the play’s significance in history, Dunn said, “Alright, I’ll give you this: If (Johnson) doesn’t win another game the rest of his career, I’ll give you that it’s historical. But there’s a good chance he’s probably going to win another one.”
Obviously, Dunn was upset with the call, but give him credit for being a good sport about it and having a little fun.
That’s all from here for tonight. It’s been a long, wet day, and we’ll be back with more tomorrow; that is, unless the Nats-Mets game gets rained out. Talk to you then.
