2020年6月21日 星期日

中英對照版》棒球史上最不可能發生的無安打比賽

標題:The most unlikely no-hitter in baseball history
棒球史上最不可能發生的無安打比賽
The perks of begging your boss for a promotion
跪求老闆給你升職的好處是...

原文連結:

作者:Michael Clair

內文:
Lots of players have thrown unexpected no-hitters. Bud Smith came out of nowhere to throw one in his rookie season. Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while he was, um, impaired. Philip Humber and his 5.31 career ERA threw a perfect game!
很多球員丟出了令人意外的無安打比賽,像是不知從哪冒出來的Bud Smith,在菜鳥球季摘下一場無安打比賽。Dock Ellis的無安打比賽還是在他ㄎㄧㄤ掉的時候丟的(譯者註:Ellis投那場時嗑了迷幻藥),Philip Humber送出完全比賽時,生涯ERA 5.31!

But in each of those games, the manager wanted that pitcher on the mound.
但在上述每一場比賽,總教練都想要那名投手上陣。

That’s not the case for the St. Louis Browns' Bobo Holloman.
不過,這不適用於聖路易布朗隊(譯者註:巴爾的摩金鶯隊前身)的Bobo Holloman。

After the Cubs traded Holloman to the Browns before the 1953 season, the 30-year-old right-hander got his first chance to play in the big leagues.
在1953年球季之前,小熊隊把Holloman交易到布朗隊,這名30歲的右投手,才得到第一次在大聯盟比賽的機會。

It didn’t look like he was going to last long.
但他當時看起來不會撐很久。

He started the year in the bullpen, and it wasn’t pretty. Through his first four appearances, he had thrown 5 1/3 IP, giving up 10 hits, three walks and five runs.
Holloman從擔任牛棚投手出發,投得並不好,他的頭四場出賽丟了5又1/3局,被打了10支安打,投出3個保送,掉了5分。

At that time, rosters had to be cut down to 25 in the middle of May, and Holloman’s name was most likely among those destined to be jettisoned to the farm.
在當時,球隊名單必須在5月中之前縮減至25人,Holloman的名字幾乎篤定在被放棄、下放農場的名單。

But Holloman had another idea: He should start.
但Holloman卻有不同的看法:他應該先發。

That’s not how things are usually done. A pitcher struggling in the bullpen gets sent to the Minors -- he doesn’t get a promotion to starting ballgames.
遊戲規則通常不是這樣運轉的,一個投得不好的投手應該被下放小聯盟──而不是反而被提拔成先發投手。

But you know that saying about how you have to be your own best advocate?
但你知道有一句俗語是「當自己最佳的辯護者有多重要」嗎?

Well, Holloman lived that ideal: He was after a starting job from the very second that the Browns acquired him.
嗯... Holloman實踐了這個理想:他幾乎在布朗隊經交易得到他之後,就馬上獲得了先發機會。

"The guy's a real character," Browns owner Bill Veeck said. "Every night since the season's opened, he's come pounding on [manager] Marty Marion's door. 'When you gonna start me?' he'd ask."
「那傢伙真是個狠角色。」布朗隊的老闆Bill Veeck 曾說:「自從開季以來,他每晚都會敲總教練Marty Marion的門問:『什麼時候讓我先發』。」

He kept that up even after his shellings, believing he could only be effective in a starting role.
即便Holloman被打得很慘,他也照做不誤(譯者註:跟總教練敲門),他相信只有在先發的角色上可以展現威力。



So, the right-hander kept begging Marion for a start. Since that seemed like the only way to shut him up, Marion acquiesced.
所以,這名右投一直苦求Marion讓他先發。因為這是唯一讓Holloman閉嘴的方法,總教練Marion才勉予同意。

“He’s come into my office every day asking ‘When am I gonna start?’” Marion said.
「他每天都來我辦公室問:『我什麼時候可以先發』?」Marion說道。

So, on May 6, with the lowly Philadelphia A's coming to town, Veeck agreed this was the time to give Holloman his opportunity. 
所以,1953年5月6日,當戰績不佳的費城運動家(譯者註:奧克蘭運動家前身)作客出賽,老闆Veeck同意是時候給Holloman一個機會了。

Otherwise, “he’ll be on our ears all the way to the train station," Veeck said.
Veeck說,否則「Holloman會在前往火車站的途中,一直在我們耳邊喋喋不休的。」

It was a rainy night, and only 2,473 fans came to see the usually luckless Browns (Veeck offered rainchecks to everyone who bothered to show up), but Holloman made sure to give the few fans that did make it out a night to remember.
那是一個下著雨的晚上,只有2473個球迷來看通常沒什麼好球運的布朗隊(Veeck還給因雨不想來的球迷,可以在之後憑以入場的票根),但Holloman的表現卻肯定讓稀稀落落的球迷留下一個難忘的夜晚。

As he stepped to the mound, Holloman scratched an "N" and a "G" -- the initials for his wife, Nancy, and son, Garry, who were in attendance 
當Holloman踏上投手丘,他在投手丘上畫了一個N跟G,是他妻子Nancy及兒子Garry名字的開頭字母,也有在觀眾席中。

-- into the dirt by the third-base line with his foot before he started every inning. Maybe that helped him out.
另外,Holloman在主投每局之前,都會從三壘邊線踏進場內的紅土。這些動作或許有幫到他。

Every great start requires some defensive wizardry -- from Steven Souza’s leaping catch to DeWayne Wise's home run robbery -- but Holloman seemingly called in all his favors from the baseball gods in one game. That included foul poles and the scorekeeper, too.
每個名留青史的先發場次背後,都需要一些如魔術般的守備,像是Steven Souza的飛撲(譯者註:救了Jordan Zimmerman的無安打比賽)、DeWayne Wise沒收全壘打(譯者註:救了Mark Buehrle的完全比賽)。但Holloman似乎在那場比賽中用光了棒球之神給的好運。其中包括了界外球竿,甚至紀錄組的角色。

It started in the second inning. The A’s Gus Zernial hit a deep live drive and Jim Dyck made a leaping one-handed grab at the wall for the out.
事情在第二局開始發生,運動家的Gus Zernial打出一記深遠的強勁飛球,Jim Dyck在全壘打前單手跳接拿下出局數。

In the fifth, Allie Clark hit a deep drive that looked to be a home run … until it went foul by just a few feet.
在第5局,Allie Clark也擊出一支深遠的強勁飛球, 看起來要形成全壘打,直到以幾英呎出界。

After Clark grounded out, Zernial again nearly broke up the no-no with a ground ball up the middle that Holloman snagged and the ball got stuck in his glove. That was called an error.
在Allie Clark滾地出局後,Gus Zernial再次幾乎終結無安打比賽,他打出一個中間方向的滾地球,Holloman一把抓下後,球卡在他的手套,所以被記錄成失誤。

Joe Astroth hit a soft ground ball down the third-base line that eventually rolled foul, and then had a hit stolen by shortstop Billy Hunter, who dropped to his knees to make the play.
Joe Astroth朝三壘方向打出一個軟弱的滾地球,最後滾出界;接著游擊手Billy Hunter以雙膝跪地的方式,偷走了一支安打。

"I wouldn't have [the no-hitter] if it wasn't for Hunter and that play he made in the eighth inning," Holloman said. "That was the greatest play I've ever seen."
「如果不是Hunter在8局完成了那個守備,我不可能拿下無安打比賽。」Holloman指出:「那是我看過最出色的守備。」

Because this is one of the strangest no-hitters, naturally it got hairy at the end, too.
因為這是最奇特的無安打比賽之一,在比賽尾聲自然上演了一些劇場。

Holloman walked the first two batters, then got Dave Philley to ground into a double play, sending the runner to third. Holloman then walked the next hitter to put runners at the corners.
Holloman保送了頭兩名打者,然後讓Dave Philley打出雙殺打,打者上到三壘。Holloman又保送了下一名打者,一三壘都有人。

That brought up Eddie Robinson, who got all of a hanging curve and smashed a line drive down the line … only to watch it hook foul by mere inches. On the next pitch, Holloman threw another a curve and Robinson hit a soft liner to Vic Wertz.
這讓Eddie Robinson得以打擊, 他完全逮中了一個吊在半空的曲球,將球轟成往邊線去的強勁飛球...只能看著球以幾吋之差,旋出成界外球。接著Holloman再丟了一顆曲球,Robinson打成一個往Vic Wertz去的軟弱飛球。

Holloman did it: He was the first pitcher since 1892 to throw a no-hitter in his first start.
Holloman做到了:他是自1892年以來,第一個在生涯首場先發就投出無安打比賽的投手。

After the game, Holloman gave it all up to the guys playing behind him. (I'd have to think there would have been some choice words in the clubhouse if he didn't.)
那場比賽之後,Holloman全部歸功於隊友的幫助(我不得不認為,如果他不那樣說的話,會在球隊裡遭遇一些微詞。)

“Without those eight guys behind me last night, my name would have been mud. I’m thinking of cutting all of them in for equal shares of my no-hitter," Holloman said. "And if it wasn't for Marty's faith in me, I never would have gotten to start at all. My record in relief wasn't too hot, you know."
「沒有身後8名隊友,我只會名聲掃地而已。我想把這場無安打比賽的榮耀均分給他們。」Holloman說:「而且如果沒有總教練Marty對我的信任,我根本沒有機會先發。你知道的,我的後援成績並不出色。」

The outing was enough to make a believer of his manager. “He proved to me that he’s just about as good as he thinks he is,” Marion said. "We're happy he's eccentric enough to pester the manager."
這場比賽足以讓Holloman取得總教練的信任:「他已經向我證明,他的表現就跟他自己認為的一樣,」Marion說:「我們很慶幸他因為太過於古怪,敢於糾纏總教練。(譯者註:指無安打比賽前)」

Unfortunately, Holloman seemed to use up all his luck in that one game. He failed to get out of the third inning in three of his next four starts, and after being sent back to the bullpen, was soon sold back to the Minor Leagues. He would never pitch in the big leagues again.
遺憾的是,Holloman似乎在那場比賽後就用光了所有的好運了。接下來4場先發有3場他都撐不過3局,因此被送回牛棚,也很快被下放小聯盟,此後更從未在大聯盟投球過了。

Still, it's better to throw one no-hitter and disappear, than never do it at all.
儘管如此,能夠投一場無安打比賽然後消聲匿跡,總比什麼都沒完成好。

譯者註:Holloman1953年在聖路易布朗隊打了一年,留下3勝7敗,65.1局,ERA 5.23,被安打69支,25三振,四壞球50個。

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