When we think of heartbreaking losses, it usually involves a last inning collapse. A victory was in hand and it melted into a loss. There is another heartbreaking loss which I will call the “head scratcher”. It usually looks like this. The losers find themselves asking this question “How did we lose that game” as they scratch their heads in disbelief.
On July 10, 1932 the Cleveland Indians pounded out 33 hits in a game. However, they LOST! Their shortstop, Johnny Burnett went 9-11. That is the record for the most hits by a player in a game.
In fairness, the game did last for 18 innings. The winning Philadelphia Athletics did have 25 hits themselves during the game. The final score was 18-17. The Indians squandered many opportunities as they left an amazing 24 runners on base.
The game lasted 4 hours and 5 minutes. That is not a misprint for those of us who have been accustomed to a 9 inning game lasting between 3 and 4 hours. The Indians had to be wondering how they could pound out 33 hits and come out as the loser. If I didn’t read it myself, I doubt I would have believed it.