Jeff Tackett, 1994 Score #136

I'm bored. Let's do a little photo sleuthing.

To start, let's confirm that this picture was snapped during the 1993 season. That's the Orioles' 1993 All-Star Game patch on Jeff Tackett's left sleeve, so we're good to go there. The pinstripes and blue uniform number outlined in gold indicate that the opposing catcher is a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. (You might have also spotted the Brewers logo on his shin guard.) In 1993, Tom Lampkin wore #22 for the Brew Crew, and he was indeed a catcher.

Both of these guys were reserve players, so hopefully it won't be hard to pinpoint the game in question. Checking Lampkin's 1993 Batting Gamelog on Baseball-Reference.com, we see that he played only two games at home against the Orioles - June 14 and June 16. Looking over both box scores, we'll see that Tackett played in only the June 16 game...and it was not pretty. While Jeff singled and walked in three at-bats while giving starter Chris Hoiles a breather, the O's were pounded to the tune of 7-2. Starter Mike Mussina earned just his third loss of the season by giving up all seven runs in six and two-thirds innings.

So, can we determine the result of this play? Consulting the play-by-play, we're looking at the top of the fifth. The O's are trailing 3-0 when they mount a rally against Milwaukee starter Jaime Navarro. They load the bases with three walks, and Brady Anderson follows with a line-drive double to right field to score a pair. The runner on first, Tackett, winds up at third. But the rally ends there. Mark McLemore hits a grounder to first, and the O's catcher inexplicably breaks for home. First baseman John Jaha cuts him down at the plate for the fielder's choice. Cal Ripken, Jr. follows with a double play grounder to third, and Baltimore fails to score another run in the game.

The next time I do one of these, I've got to make sure that the Orioles actually won the game.