How to watch Mark Fidrych go for 20 wins
June 22, 2022
As reported last night, the Worcester Birds have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. But one meaningful game remains. Mark Fidrych has won his last 3 starts to push his record to 19 wins and 7 losses, and he will start game 161.
In real life, he fell just shy of 20 games in his dream season of 1976, and injuries scuttled any hopes of his ever getting anywhere close to that again. I’m rooting for the virtual avatar based on his 1977 season to achieve this landmark as hard as I’ve rooted for anything for a while. I want to imagine him mowing them down one last time at the center of the world. I want to imagine him at the end in the middle of a happy pile-on at the mound.
The game will not be available to follow on TV or radio, of course, because it’s not actually happening, but as soon as it’s available to view on the Strat-O-Matic Online site, I’ll be on Twitter (@josh_wilker) relaying the moment-by-moment results as the game unfolds before my eyes. The Strat-O-Matic online games are usually posted around 11 P.M. ET/ 10 P.M. CT. As soon as I see them up there I’ll send out a heads-up tweet that I’ll be cracking open the game-view engine 10 minutes later so that, if you happen to be interested in seeing how this all plays out, you’ll have time to finish up your marathon Wednesday night lovemaking session or clipping your toenails or whatever.
If you’re not up for venturing into the hellscape that is Twitter, I also hope to post a recap on this page tomorrow, if I haven’t wandered off weeping into the wilderness. Either way, thanks for following along this far. It’s made a lifelong solitary compulsion into something closer to joy, which of course only ever exists when shared. For that I thank you, and I thank Mark Fidrych.
Game time (approximate)
- 11 P.M. ET/10 P.M. CT
Pitchers
- Mark Fidrych, 19-7, 4.06 ERA
- Mike Flanagan, 13-15, 4.47 ERA
Lineup, Bronx Dream Team (visitor)
- Lenny Randle, 2B
- Steve Ontiveros, 3B
- Tim McCarver, C
- Jim Rice, LF
- Jeff Burroughs, RF
- Lou Piniella, 1B
- Alvis Woods, DH
- Bill Almon, SS
- Paul Dade, CF
Lineup, Worcester Birds (home)
- Glenn Burke, DH
- Joe Morgan, 2B
- Ken Singleton, RF
- Eric Soderholm, 3B
- Thurman Munson, C
- Lyman Bostock, LF
- Ron Jackson, 1B
- César Gerónimo, CF
- Larry Bowa, SS
Cardboard Gods 
Flanagan! You stink!
Hey McCarver you suck! And remember no one in their right mind wants to hear or see an album featuring you singing jazz covers in about 30 years!
Let’s go Bird! These bums can’t hit you!
Just getting ready for tonight.
You inspired me to give it a whirl. My Newark Yellowjackets (HS alma mater) take the field tomorrow. Tom Seaver on the hill. Picked a skinny ballpark (78 Memorial Stadium) and a lot of good defenders wrapped around Norm Cash. One of your favorites (Dewey Evans) in RF batting behind Cash. Ozzie Smith and Mazeroski up the middle, Buddy Bell manning 3B. Just the vs computer league for now, we’ll see how it goes.