THE PRICE IS RIGHT?

DID KATE'S PITCHING TIPS HELP PRICE FINISH IT OFF...

OR WOULD KATE KICK HIM OUT, JUST LIKE YUMA TEAMMATE VERLANDER???

MAY 11: Since the Bullard Alternative Reality baseball league began play in 2003, every game has seen at least one player from each team reach base safely. Could this be the day?

One pitcher—Frostbite Falls ace Cole Hamels—had already come close in 2013, carrying perfection through one out in the ninth of the season opener before allowing three straight hits. Others have thrown no-hitters with just a walk or two. One, Josh Johnson, even LOST a game in which he threw a no-no (in 2012). But never—NEVER—has a BARB hurler set down 27 men in a row in a single game.

Multiple pitchers have the stuff and stamina to pull off this feat. David Price is one of them. He was on the hill as Yuma hosted the Casselton Horned Toads, and it was clear from the beginning he had his nastiest array of offerings ready to face the Central division’s number two team.

Price faced another lefty, Jon Niese, and both matched zeroes for the first two innings. Niese became the first to crack, allowing a Nick Markakis double and Andrelton Simmons RBI 1B in the third for a 1-0 Yuma lead.

Price was still mowing down the Casselton offense, having reached a three-ball count with only one batter through the first six frames.

The score remained 1-0 into the bottom of the sixth as Niese trotted to the mound again. He struck out Andrew McCutchen but was bit by an infield single by Ben Zobrist, a soft liner to center off the bat of Ryan Braun and a solid Joey Votto single just over the shortstop’s glove to load the bases. Next up: Buster Posey. Niese fell behind in the count, 2-0, and had to put one over the plate. Posey didn’t miss, sending it high and deep to left field…..

GRAND SLAM!!!!

Awfully reminiscent of Posey’s salami in Game Five of the 2012 NLDS, this one also broke open a pitchers’ duel to put Yuma up, 5-0.

Going into the seventh, the only remaining suspense was when—or if—Casselton would have a runner. Some in the press box also wondered if Price would relax too much with the larger lead.

Seven pitches answered that question: a one-strike Carlos Gonzales ground out, a first-pitch Jed Lowrie ground out, and a 2-1 Adrian Beltre can of corn put the Firebirds right back in the dugout and Price just six outs away from history.

Offseason addition McCutchen added to the Yuma lead with a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh, his eighth home run of the year.

Price came back out for the eighth having thrown 85 pitches (with six strikeouts), and ready to face the middle of the Horned Toads lineup—Edwin Encarnacion, Garrett Jones and Jay Bruce.

Mind you, this Casselton offense isn’t a bad one. In fact, it has some pretty impressive pieces, even if they are underperforming a tad in 2013. Coming in to the game, the Horned Toads were squarely in the middle or near the top of the pack in many team offensive statistics and even second overall in home runs.

But a strikeout sandwiched by two groundouts accounted for outs 22, 23 and 24.

After Yuma’s offense went quietly in the bottom of the eighth, the hometown fans rose to their feet in a roar as Price trotted back to the mound for the ninth. A couple of sluggers, Jason Kubel and Mike Napolit, and a speedster with pop, Brandon Phillips, awaited their third turn at bat.

-Kubel was first, and he watched a cutter and fastball cross the plate before nearly spinning out of his shoes chasing a wicked changeup. ONE OUT

-Napoli also watched a called first strike before getting a piece of the second offering. In the 0-2 count, Price came back with his little-used curve ball to freeze the slugger. TWO DOWN

The last hope for Casselton was Brandon Phillips. Phillips had grounded out and flown out in his two previous trips to the plate. The righty had seen his two teammates flail after taking called first strikes, so he was determined to put the ball in play and hope his speed could start something. Price offered a first-pitch changeup. Phillips put it on the ground up the middle…

AND IT CAROMED OFF THE MOUND!!!

A HIGH HOP ON THE INFIELD RATHER THAN A CLEAN PICK UP NEAR THE BAG! Luckily for Price, Yuma had a player who could redirect and make the play: Andrelton Simmons. Even IF he got there, it was going to be close at first.

Simmons reached with his bare hand…grabbed the ball…FIRED TO FIRST….

IN TIME! THE CROWD GOES WILD! Price’s teammates rushed the mound and mobbed the stellar lefty.

What a performance! The line for David Price: 9 IP, 27 batters faced, 27 retired. No hits, no walks, no hit batters, no errors. Nine strikeouts, nine groundouts, and nine outs through the air. The stunned Casselton players even gave a short applause after Price’s masterpiece.

Finally, in BARB’s 9,408^th regular-season game, a pitcher achieved perfection.