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DUQUETTE PUSHES ALL
THE RIGHT BUTTONS ...
John Valentin becomes the first shortstop in MLB
history, to ever have 15 total bases in one game
with 3 HRs a double and a single
June 2, 1995
...
It was still 19 days until summer, but on this early June night with
Fenway Park packed, beach balls fluttering in the bleachers, the
popping noise of a Roger Clemens fastball and a six-game lead in the
American League East, the Boys of Pre-Summer made it a sweet summer
baseball night in Boston. And it's one night John
Valentin, who went 5 for 5 with three solo homers and 15 total bases, will never
forget. It probably will be frozen in Red Sox folklore. The last time a player
had more than 15 total bases was Fred Lynn, whose 16 against the Detroit Tigers
in 1975 tied an American League record.
Valentin's third home run of
the game in the eighth inning, a high, towering blast that cleared the net and
likely landed across Lansdowne Street, had brought the Sox to within a run. Then
the hysteria continued when Mike Macfarlane smacked his eighth home run with one
out in the bottom of the ninth to bring the Sox back to a 5-5 gridlock.
But for most of this one, it
didn't appear the Sox were going to make it a happy homecoming. They had gone
6-3 on the West Coast swing and were showing signs of being more a road team
(12-6). They had lost their last three games at home against the Cleveland
Indians in their worst moment this season.
Clemens was feeling the effects
of an old calf strain by the fifth inning, when the Mariners scored four runs
and the pregame electricity seemed to wear off. He left after five innings
trailing, 5-2.
Neither Clemens nor manager
Kevin Kennedy made reference to the calf strain. Kennedy, in fact, went out of
his way to praise Clemens' effort, though he did admit he thought of pulling him
sooner. While he threw mostly fastballs, his usually effective forkball was
tagged for key base hits. He maxed out at 94 m.p.h. on the radar guns, but
Clemens' other stuff was lacking. He threw 84 pitches, 11 short of what was
planned. While on rehabilitation, he was concerned about the number of Sox
hitters who were being hit with pitches, and he hoped to do something about it
when he returned. But he didn't expect to hit three Mariners, including the
innocent Chad Kreuter twice.
A lined single to right by
Edgar Martinez knocked in a pair for Seattle, as did Jay Buhner's deep shot just
below the flagpole in left-center field that just made it over the fence.
Trailing, 5-2, there seemed
little hope. There were a few boos in the crowd. But suddenly Valentin started
cranking and the Sox were again impersonating the Cardiac Kids of 1967. The
bullpen racked up five scoreless innings.
It was Valentin who began the winning rally when the
emerging star (fitting nicely as the Rico Petrocelli of the '90s), doubled to
start the 10th off Salomon Torres. After an intentional walk to Mo Vaughn and a
botched sacrifice bunt by pinch hitter Steve Rodriguez, Mike Greenwell brought
the house down with an opposite-field single to left that scored Vaughn with the
winning run. |
