The Atlanta Braves suspended game also suspended reality

It is said that there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics”. In that light, the Atlanta Braves compiled a few statistics on Friday.

Ah, the suspended game.  This was a game situation created when the rain ended a scheduled double-header between the Atlanta Braves and the Padres on July 21st.

When major league baseball compiles the numbers for such contests, everything is assigned to the date on which the game was originally scheduled.  Since that came before this year’s trade deadline — and the completion came afterwards — that introduces chaos.

Back in July, the Atlanta Braves were in the midst of a quirky stretch of games in which they could not win or lose more than one game at a time.  This started on July 18 and ran for 18 games in a row to August 3rd… until Friday, September 24th when they lost the suspended game.

That loss broke the string… making the “streak” only fourteen games long since — officially — they had now lost 2 in a row in July 21 (both ends of the double-header).

But how confusing was it that when play began on Friday — in San Diego — Atlanta starting batting… but as the home team?  Probably no more confusing than the fact that the teams only played 2-1/2 innings.

Then there were the player conflicts:

• Bryse Wilson started this game.  He’s now a Pirate.
• Josh Tomlin pitched 2 innings.  He’s now in AAA.
• Jesse Chavez pitched one inning in Atlanta and another inning in San Diego… in the same game on different dates… but officially only on July 21st.

Special attention goes to Adam Duvall and Daniel Hudson, though.  On July 21st… the real July 21st… Duval was a member of the Miami Marlins.  Hudson was a member of the Nationals.

Oh… and those two teams were playing one another in Washington that day.

So officially…

• Adam Duvall singled and went 1 for 4  for the Marlins (also reaching on an error) while playing right field in Washington, D.C. on July 21st.
• Adam Duval also hit a pinch-hit homer for the Braves on July 21st… roughly 2,689 miles away at Petco Park.  This counts as a homer hit “at home”… though it took place nowhere near Miami or Atlanta.
• Daniel Hudson pitched the 8th innings for his Nationals team on July 21st, giving up one hit and struck out one (no, he didn’t face Duvall, though he was on deck).
• Daniel Hudson also made that really-red-eye flight to San Diego and pitched the 6th inning for the Padres, giving up… YES!  The home run to Duvall!  They finally got to face one another and that was the result.
• Hudson got a blown save… for the second game… but nonetheless “vultured” the win thanks to Will Smith, who really isn’t that interesting in this discussion.

Turns out that this craziness topped even that prior oddity… mostly thanks to the (a) entirely different teams involved and (b) 2,689 miles of separation.

So on the day… Duvall and Hudson split their own unique double-header… with each player both being involved in a win and a loss for their respective teams… even as the Braves and Padres also split a win and a loss on Friday night.

… okay, except that there was only one official game on Friday night.  Got it??