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SAVING FENWAY, MORE PEDRO
AND A FRUSTRATING SEASON
Brian Daubach delivers with
a
9th inning walk-off
July 13, 2000 ... It
was a night Pedro Martinez, healthy and haughty, was back for the
first time in 18 days, and for a the bottom-of-the-ninth comeback. It
was the first time this season the Sox have come from behind in their
last at-bat, on a night in which Pedro left after seven innings
deadlocked, 2-2, having surrendered a tying home run to Jay Payton,
who also doubled home the Mets' first run.
The Mets had
taken a 3-2 lead in the eighth when Carl Everett, the Sox All-Star and former
Met, misplayed Mike Piazza's base hit into an error that allowed Edgardo Alfonzo
to score from first. But after Scott Hatteberg drew a one-out walk in the ninth
batting for Ed Sprague, the best-fielding team in the National League made a
rare mistake.
Melvin Mora,
playing shortstop, muffed Jose Offerman's ground ball just to the left of second
base. Pinch runner Manny Alexander, instead of being erased at second, wound up
at third when he advanced on Jeff Frye's liner to center, setting up Brian
Daubach's duel with Benitez, who blew just his fourth save in 23 chances.
Daubach lashed his winning hit to the base of the right-field fence one pitch
after umpire Angel Hernandez decided not to ring him up on a 1-and-2 fastball
from Benitez that had the sellout crowd of 33,894 audibly relieved the game
wasn't over.
Mets manager
Bobby Valentine, who acknowledged he doesn't have the best view of the strike
zone from the third base dugout, thought Daubach was done on the previous pitch.
Daubach candidly admitted what would have happened had he elected to take a hack
at the 1-and-2 pitch, which was belt high and hugging the outside corner.
Instead, he delivered some 10 o'clock drama that has been absent most nights on
the Fens.
Pedro has
now gone five weeks without a win. The last time he pitched in four games
without a win was nearly two years ago, in September 1998. But after whiffing
10, walking one, and holding the Mets to five hits, he pronounced himself
satisfied. |
