FanShot

Strange feats by Braves on 2010 season

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So what was so strange about Aug. 25? The Braves and Reds both blew 10-1 leads on the same day (and practically at the same time, for that matter). That's what. According to Elias, it was the first time since 1912 that two different teams made nine-run leads disappear on the same day. But there was one big difference between those two teams. At least the Reds scrambled back to win -- 12-11, in 12 crazy innings. Mets 2, Cardinals 1, in 20 seemingly never-ending innings April 17. • This was also the first game in 31 years in which a team (in this case, the Cardinals) had to point two different position players (Felipe Lopez and Joe Mather) to the mound to get nine outs. • And it was the first game in the history of baseball in which a position player (Mather) took the loss, a closer (K-Rod) got the win and a starter (Mike Pelfrey) wound up with a save. So if you can beat that one for Strange-But-Trueness, let us know. • What were the odds of this? In the first game Lou Piniella managed in 2010 (i.e., Opening Day), the Cubs lost to the Braves 16-5. And on Aug. 22, in the final game Lou managed in 2010, the Cubs lost to the Braves by a score of (yep) 16-5. Before that, no other team in the live-ball era had ever lost two 16-5 games to the same opponent in the same season. No truth to the rumor the Cubs made all their August waiver deals based on which teams they happened to be playing. Nevertheless, they traded Mike Fontenot to the Giants in the middle of a series in San Francisco. Then, a week later, they traded Derek Lee to Atlanta just before they started a series with the Braves.