Parrish hangs Harper out to dry

7/20/2005
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Mud Hens pitcher John Ennis makes a delivery against Scranton yesterday at Fifth Third Field. Ennis pitched two inning, giving up two hits and two earned runs, but struck out three batters.
Mud Hens pitcher John Ennis makes a delivery against Scranton yesterday at Fifth Third Field. Ennis pitched two inning, giving up two hits and two earned runs, but struck out three batters.

Brandon Harper admitted he had seen a play similar to the one in which he was involved in the eighth inning of yesterday's 10-inning, 7-6 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"I think I was 12 or 13 and was in Little League," Harper said, laughing.

The play involved Harper rounding third base on Curtis Granderson's game-tying double. Harper came charging around the bag, and manager Larry Parrish tried to stop him.

Unfortunately for the Mud Hens, Parrish stopped Harper by clothes-lining him.

"I was scoring - until he stopped me," Harper said. "It was kind of a fluke deal. His hand came up in front of me, my feet went out in front of me, and we just kind of met."

Home plate umpire Adrian Johnson saw the contact and correctly called Harper out

according to rule 7.09 (i).

"[Harper] caught me with my pants down," Parrish said after the game. "I didn't expect him to run through the bag like that. It was my mistake all the way, and for some reason I clothes-lined him to get him back.

"I've never done that before."

The gaffe proved costly when Carlos Pena hit a high fly ball to center that would have allowed Harper to score easily.

There also was a wild pitch later in the inning that would have given Harper an opportunity to score a run that would have won the game in regulation.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Before the game, Lily Hannahan, the daughter of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Buzz Hannahan, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to her uncle, Toledo's Jack Hannahan.

Lily, who celebrated her third birthday at yesterday's game, was part of a large group visiting Fifth Third Field for this series.

According to Jack Hannahan, among those here in Toledo for this four-game set are Buzz and Jack's mother and father, two sisters, two aunts and uncles, two cousins, two nieces and three friends of the family.

THREE-DOT DATA: Yesterday's crowd of 9,275 was the Mud Hens' 18th sellout this season and the 95th in the four-year history of Fifth Third Field. Detroit vice-president and general manager Dave Dombrowski was at Fifth Third Field to watch Toledo play for the second straight day. After the game the Mud Hens activated Gookie Dawkins from the disabled list and sent David

Espinosa to Double-A Erie. Dawkins went on the DL July 5 after being hit in the mouth by a pitch two days earlier. Espinosa hit .244 in 17 games with the Hens after his call-up from Erie on June 19. Mike Hessman, who was hit on the head in batting practice Monday, was able to return to the lineup yesterday. He went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks.