THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509030199
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Somehow, when nobody was looking, real-life playoff atmosphere infiltrated two meaningless games Saturday at Harbor Park, where the Norfolk Tides' matched their record for victories in a season before their largest paid crowd ever.
Nearly 2,000 standing-room patrons swelled the audience to 13,727, a turnout boosted by a few thousand rain checks from Friday's rain-suspended contest against the Richmond Braves. They saw the Tides split the games to finish 86-56, by far the best mark in the International League.
And in contrast to the usual closing-night script, when minimum intensity is exerted with maximum swiftness, the Tides and Braves offered an inspired Governors' Cup playoff preview.
It was a mini-doubleheader that featured double switches, pinch-hitters for pinch-hitters, drained rosters, umpire-manager arguments and even extra innings in the final game.
That one, scheduled for seven innings, actually went into the bottom of the 11th before the Tides won, 1-0. They loaded the bases with one out against Kevin Lomon before Edwin Alicea singled over a drawn-in outfield to win it.
In the opener, which was picked up in the top of the fourth inning, the Tides broke up Richmond's bid for a perfect game with two outs in the eighth but lost, 5-1.
The top two teams in the West Division will play at least three more times beginning Monday at The Diamond in Richmond, and could go until Friday if the best-of-five series runs its course.
The series will come to Harbor Park for Game 3 on Wednesday. Games 4 and 5, if needed, will also be in Norfolk. In the East Division, first-place Rochester will meet Ottawa.
``There's a lot of pride on this club. They want to win very, very badly,'' Tides manager Toby Harrah said. ``There's a lot of new faces here since the last time we played (Richmond). This lets them know we can still play, that we've still got a very good team.''
In the completion of the suspended game, Terrell Wade, following Darrell May's three perfect innings the day before, had his shot at perfection shattered by Kevin Morgan's single in the eighth. Morgan scored on Rey Ordonez's double that tied it, 1-1, but Richmond roughed up Pete Walker for four runs in the ninth.
It was an outburst that ruined the Tides' chance to set the club record for victories. The 1975 Tides, who featured Craig Swan and Mike Vail, went 86-55, capturing their 86th win in a first-place playoff.
Walker countered that with the victory in the second game. The fifth Tides pitcher, Walker worked the final two innings to complete a four-hitter and finish the Tides' league-best 18th shutout.
``We knew we were playing each other in the playoffs and we wanted to get some momentum going in,'' said Tides catcher John Orton, who began the season with Richmond. ``So it means something, a little bit anyway, mentally.
NOTABLE: The crowd, the third gathering of more-than 13,000 at Harbor Park (capacity 12,059) pushed the Tides to a club-record 560,211 tickets sold for the season. Their largest previous paid attendance was Aug. 30, 1994 - 13,069 for the Tides and Braves. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
RICHARD DUNSTON/Staff
Jay Payton of the Norfolk Tides reacts as if it was an inside pitch
by Richmond, but it was called a strike.
by CNB