Season in review about nothing: Scott Baker, ‘The Understudy.’

Scott Baker

Scott Baker made two starts for the Dodgers in 2015. (Getty Images)

This is Part 4 in a series in which every member of the 2015 Dodgers has his season juxtaposed with an episode of the greatest sitcom of all-time. Don’t take it too seriously.

Scott Baker, RHP.

Key stats: Majors (two starts): 0-1, 5.73 ERA. At Triple-A Oklahoma City (13 starts): 7-3, 3.39 ERA, .228 opponents’ batting average.

Seinfeld episode: “The Understudy” (season 6, episode 24).

Key quote: “They really stick to that ‘understudy’ rule.”

Maybe the craziest thing about Scott Baker’s season is that he spent it entirely within the Dodgers organization (which will be a recurring theme in our series).

As an understudy, Baker was great. The 34-year-old right-hander came to the Dodgers after spending spring training in the Yankees’ camp. He went 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 13 games (13 starts) at Triple-A Oklahoma City, limiting opposing hitters to a .228 average and striking out 51 while walking only seven.

With numbers like that, you’d probably feel safe guessing Baker made more than two starts at the major-league level this season. You’d be wrong. Baker’s blink-and-you-missed-it major league season with the Dodgers consisted of two starts, April 26 in San Diego and May 2 at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Baker pitched seven innings in his start against the Padres, allowed only four hits (two were home runs) and three runs. Because the Dodgers’ offensive powers were helpless that day against the right arm of Brandon Morrow, the Padres won 3-1 and Baker was saddled with a tough-luck loss.

Against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baker fared much worse. He allowed seven hits (two were home runs) and four runs in four innings, his day ending after 83 pitches. The Dodgers came from behind twice to win the game, 6-4. Baker was outrighted to Triple-A three days later and remained in the organization the rest of the year, waiting for a third chance that never came.

Baker’s season highlight came April 20 in a game for Oklahoma City. He came one pitch away from throwing the first perfect game in Oklahoma City’s 18 seasons as a Triple-A franchise. (That’s a bit disingenuous. The game was part of a doubleheader, and therefore a seven-inning game under PCL rules, but the distinction still stands.) That same week, Brandon McCarthy was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That’s how the best understudy the Oklahoma City Dodgers had to offer — at the time, Baker — went into the major-league rotation.

McCarthy doesn’t have much in common with Bette Midler, but for the purposes of this blog entry it’ll do.

Midler was the guest star in this memorable Seinfeld episode. She played herself, starring in a theater production of Rochelle, Rochelle–The Musical. In a fantastic set of made-for-TV circumstances, Jerry’s softball team happened to be playing the theater company’s team, and Jerry happened to be dating Midler’s understudy.

What happened next was textbook Seinfeld chaos: George rounds third base and barrels into Midler at home plate, knocking her out of the softball game and the musical. Midler’s understudy (Jerry’s girlfriend) takes over and the rest of the theater company blames Jerry for putting Midler in the hospital.

To be fair, Jerry and George did try to apologize:

 

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.