Got scorebook? Minor league game features a total of 51 runs

Yahoo! Sports

Mon Jun 29 09:45am EDT

Got scorebook? Minor league game features a total of 51 runs

You might have had an explosive summer weekend, but here's guessing it still paled in comparison to what happened between two minor league teams on Sunday.

We're still waiting to confirm if the game was played with two outfielders a side or if the ball was placed on a tee, but the Lake Elsinore Storm (a single A-affiliate of the Padres) and the High Desert Mavericks (Mariners) slugged it out to the tune of 51 runs in Lake Elsinore's 33-18 victory.

"It seemed like a never-ending game of hits," Lake Elsinore's Matt Clark told MLB.com after scoring seven runs and going 5-for-6 while somehow falling a double short of the cycle.

The California League game is now making national headlines and the box score is applying to be the ninth wonder of the world (behind Andre The Giant, of course). Seeing as how the Padres and Mariners are the two worst MLB teams in terms of run production, maybe they'll review a little game tape to see if they can put any of these guys on the fast track to the bigs.

While we wait for a resignation from High Desert's scoreboard operator, here are a few of the more notable numbers from the game's scoresheet:

• Nine different players had at least four hits and the box score says that both teams combined for 58 hits. (The AP is reporting 57 but, really, it's impressive either way.)

• Lake Elsinore scored eight runs in the first, six in the eighth and sprinkled in two more five-run for good measure. Neither team scored in the sixth or seventh innings.

• Lake Elsinore starter Jeremy McBryde could have been credited with one of the most undeserved wins ever — he allowed 13 hits and 11 runs — but came one out shy of qualifying, lasting only 4 2/3 innings before being pulled by his skip.

• All the totals would have presumably been lower if High Desert hadn't committed five errors in the field. (Lake Elsinore was credited with only one.)

• The two teams almost outscored a majority of Sunday's big league action. The 10 lowest-scoring games on the MLB slate only featured a total of 53 runs.

• High Desert's Jamie McOwen made history in his team's loss by hitting safely in his 36th straight game, a California League record.

• The game took only four hours and 10 minutes to complete, a relative snap given all the runners who had to circle the bases. For comparison's sake, the NY Times notes that it took both New York teams 3 hours and 38 minutes to complete the Yanks' 4-2 win on Sunday.