Tim Cullen’s most imperfect inning

The eighth inning of this game starts well enough for the Washington Senators, who already are leading Oakland 11-0 when Athletics’ leadoff hitter Bert Campaneris sends a harmless grounder to second baseman Tim Cullen.

Cullen fields the ball and throws out Campaneris, cutting to five the number of outs the Senators need to finish off Oakland 56 years ago today in front of a Saturday afternoon crowd of 10,553 at RFK Stadium.

Then the fun starts.

Well, fun for everyone not named Tim Cullen.

After Campaneris bounces out to Cullen, Jose Tartabull follows with another grounder to Cullen, who bobbles the ball as it hits his right forearm and then deflects off of his chin.

Tartabull is safe at first.

Error on Cullen, who does not start on this day in 1969 but eventually enters the game after pinch-running for Ken McMullen in the sixth inning.

Future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson follows with yet another grounder toward Cullen, who this time has the ball go off his left forearm and again deflect off his chin.

E-4, the Sequel.

“Hit a rock,” Cullen claims 24 years later in a 1993 interview with the Greensboro News and Record.

Undeterred, Washington reliever Bob Humphries continues to throw grounders with Sal Bando, Oakland’s next batter, obligingly bouncing another ball toward – you guessed it – Cullen at second base.

This time, Cullen fields the ball and decides to try for a double play.

Naturally, at least for him on this day, Cullen’s throw to cut down Jackson heading to second base sails by Senators shortstop Zoilo Versalles.

“The guy out in Section 104 had a better chance at the ball than (Versalles) had,” Cullen says.

So, yes, that would be another E-4 with all three miscues coming on three consecutive batters.

And, yes, that would be a major league record for futility.

Cullen’s trio of errors lead to three unearned runs, cutting Washington’s already commanding lead to 11-3, the eventual final score of this game.

Historians note that Cullen leads off the bottom of the eighth inning and promptly reaches safely as Oakland first baseman Tito Francona mishandles Cullen’s grounder to him for yet another error in the inning.

After reaching first, Cullen turns toward Francona and empathetically says, “Hang in there, Tito.”

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