The first two times Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn took the mound to pitch it wasn't serious. The Phillies were so far behind that the game was out of reach; and, rather than use a real pitcher in a game they no longer had any chance to win, they called upon Quinn to come in and get as many outs as he could and at the same time provide a little comic relief for the fans who hadn't already left. But this time it was different. This time - late last Friday night (Aug. 2) at Citizens Bank Park - with the clock about to strike midnight and with the Phillies out of options at pitcher, Quinn was brought in to pitch in a tie game in the 14th inning against the Chicago White Sox. Well, to the surprise of no one, this didn't end well for the Phillies; but they didn't go down without a fight. In fact, even though they saw the home team lose, the fans still at the park at that late hour were glad they still were, because the last two innings turned out to be the most entertaining part of the game.If you had told Quinn when he woke up that morning that he was going to have the chance to be the winning pitcher in the game that night, he would have asked you what you'd been smoking. But in sports - and especially in baseball - these three words are always so true: you never know.
