|
ON THIS DATE (September 2, 1998) ...
Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra hit a ninth-inning, game-winning
grand slam tonight in Fenway Park against the Mariners. And in the
aftermath of a 7-3 win that was the Sox' 16th victory in their last
at-bat, many voices joined as one in an ode to joy that resonated on
Yawkey Way with a singular chord: "M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P."
Nomar's home
run, whose launch came off reliever Bobby Ayala and whose touchdown came in the
left-field screen, was his first big league grand slam and also resonated with
history. It was his 30th home run of 1998, making him just the fifth player to
hit 30 or more in each of his first two seasons.
Mike
Benjamin
started the winning rally in the ninth when his chopper over the bag fell out of
third baseman Russ Davis's glove. Originally, it was scored an error but was
changed to a hit by official scorer Charles Scoggins. Considering Davis already
had 34 errors, maybe Scoggins didn't want to be accused of piling on.
Ayala then
walked Darren Lewis on four pitches, Darren Bragg sacrificed the runners over,
and Mo Vaughn was given an intentional pass, setting the stage for Nomar. Two
pitches later, it was over.
The last
swing of the night marked the second time this season Nomar has ended a game
with a home run. |
