Burt Hooten = CC?

A friend asks:

 

Did yesterday's game remind anyone of the infamous Game 3 against the Dodgers in '77 when the Vet fans just took over the show and completely dominated an opposing team's pitcher?

Maybe I'm overstating it, but the entire fate of this series was all wrapped into that 1st Myers at bat. The crowd was sorta in the game, we'd been hitting CC -- 3 doubles at that point -- but he still looked dominant against most batters.

Then, 0-2, Myers hits the foul ball. The crowd went crazy. A couple more foul balls and a couple balls, the crowd goes crazier. By the time he got the count to 3-2, CC was completely rattled. You could see it, he'd been squeezed on 1 or 2 pitches, but he was baffled. As I think Smoltz said, I've never seen a walk that didn't directly score a run draw that kind of reaction ever from a crowd.

At that point, CC was toast. A 4-pitch walk to JRoll, and the crowd was in a pandemonium. You could almost feel the grand salami coming.

Anyway, it was Hooton (or Hooten?) all over again. Except this time we kept our cool and slammed the door.

 

 

To which my brother, who was at the game yesterday, concurs:

 

I was sitting in row 29 parallel with 3^rd base.  My buddy leaned over after the inning (the 2^nd) and said he honestly felt crowd got to CC.  the Myers at-bat was AWESOME.  It is no accident that he walked Rollins next (I believe on 4 pitches).  There were some serious CC sucks and CC (drawn out) chants during both at-bats.  Myers was down 0-2 and after the first foul people started getting really into it.

 

Fact – I know this because I was watching CC’s pitch count half the game hoping to get him out of there – by the time CC went through the order twice (in the 4^th).  He had 82 pitches.  19 of them to Myers.  Think about that.  It’s unbelievable.  Especially considering Myers batted .069 for the year.  After Myers 2^nd at-bat (10 pitches) Rollins hit a double.