Every so often, baseball offers testaments to its greatness, infrequent reminders of why the sport remains our national pastime.
One of these reminders came Saturday night, in the midst of an almost meaningless series in Philadelphia, with both the Phillies and Diamondbacks all but eliminated from the playoffs.
Carlos Ruiz had been in the squat for nearly seven hours when right fielder Casper Wells, known more for his recognizable name and previous relief appearance with the White Sox than any batting statistic (he has just one hit in 25 plate appearances with Philadelphia), jogged out to the mound.
Fresh out of relievers, Wells who gave up five earned runs in the longest game in Diamondbacks history.
I like to think of baseball as an all-inclusive culture. One that accepts any and all interested in traveling back to their childhood.
But if you can’t find something to appreciate from Casper Wells coming from right field to pitch in an 18-inning marathon just past 2 a.m. on the East Coast, I don’t know what to tell you.
Maybe baseball isn’t for everyone.
Reach the reporter at bmargiot@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @benmargiott
