Last night my dad took Donovan and I to the Cards/Cubs game. If you are a Cardinals fan, then you already know that we got to witness a two out walk-off grand slam by red hot backup catcher Gary Bennett, which capped off a sweep of the Cubbies.
The amazing thing, for us, is that this is the SECOND time Donovan, in his short life so far, has witnessed a Cardinal walk-off grand slam. He, my Dad and I were also in attendance for David Eckstein’s grand salami last year on August 7 against the Braves, which was the last time the Cardinals had a walk-off grand slam – before that the last time was in 1987 by Tommy Herr! That game was Donovan’s first official full baseball game, and I believe it was his last game at the old Busch Stadium. We took many pictures.
(Our first attempt at Donovan’s first game was July 2, 2004, against the Seattle Mariners. We were off to a great start but then there was a 2 hour rain delay after 2 innings, and we left when it first started to rain.)
Getting back to last night, even before the win it was a great night. As the game was in progress it occurred to me to think how privileged I was to be there with my dad and my son, seeing a game between the Cardinals and their arch-rivals, the best rivalry in baseball.
I think Donovan ate everything the stadium had to offer. Right off the bat, as soon as we were seated, he wanted to buy peanuts. So we bought peanuts. Later, he wanted ice cream, but I countered by insisting he have some dinner and offered him a hot dog with ketchup, which he enthusiastically agreed to. So I fetched a hot dog for him, and also nachos and a diet Coke for my dad. As he was just starting the hot dog, and also mooching some nachos and Coke, our friend Dr. Chirino returned with some ice cream he had bought for Donovan. So I think we spent the entire fourth inning or so eating.
Donovan managed to amuse himself despite the fact that I don’t think he was aware of the game on the field. We were pretty high up, section 454 on the left field line, just about halfway between home plate and third base. We were on the aisle so he sat next to me on the stairs. He danced to all the music between at bats, and got excited whenever he could see Fred Bird. He waved and said hi to people down on the concourse. We did take one walk around just to stretch our legs.
My dad and I have been in attendance for some great bottom-of-the-ninth endings to Cardinals/Cubs games. Check out this list:
- Most obviously, we were at the third game of the “Three Nights in August” series on Thursday night, August 28 2003, when Kerry Robinson hit a walk-off home run, his first homer of the season, off Mike Remlinger. (Sammy Sosa and Scott Rolen also homered that game.)
- On April 30, 2004, we saw something I had never even heard of before – the Cardinals won the game on a walk-off walk. Catcher Mike Matheny drew a bases-loaded walk from hapless ex-Cubs closer LaTroy “Hawk” Hawkins.
- Last season, on Friday night July 22 2005, we witnessed the Cards win on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt executed flawlessly by David Eckstein, scoring Hector Luna.
Last night is the latest entry in that saga.
Speaking of Three Nights in August, on Friday Kevin Pollak was in town to promote the fact that he is writing the screenplay for the movie. He was on the radio, 590 AM, on my way home from work, and he was just cracking me up. He was doing impressions of Christopher Walken and William Shatner calling a Cardinals game. He very humerously recounted the story of trying to convince Tony LaRussa to help make the movie.
Last night’s game was actually moved to primetime from the afternoon so that ESPN could pick it up as Sunday Night Baseball. So the whole nation got to witness the sweep. After the game my brother Chad called me from Ft. Collins, CO – he had watched the game. We whooped it up. He had even been to a Rockies game earlier that afternoon, but that was all but forgotten in the excitement.
Here’s a synopsis of last night’s ninth inning. It was tied 6-6. The pitcher (aka The Goat) was Bob Howry. Pujols lead off the inning and singled. Then, he ran on the hit and run, sliding into second to possibly avoid the double play or fielder’s choice. Rolen was out at first but had advanced the runner. Next up was Encarnacion – he singled, a high infield bouncer to third baseman Aramis Ramirez, and Encarnacion barely beat it out to first. But the thing that grabbed my attention on that play was Albert very aggressively taking third base, he ran right in front of Ramirez. It was ballsy. Just all around ballsy base running by Pujols, like he really wanted each base. It was an awkward play for Ramirez, and in hindsight we don’t think he could have adjusted and made a play on Pujols, but at the time Pujols just looked like he was daring Ramirez to try something, he ran right under the ball’s trajectory. My dad and I were wondering if Pujols could have possibly distracted Ramirez and cost him the play at first.
Now it’s first and third with one out. Next, Ike Belliard gets a walk, now bases are loaded. I’m thinking, we can’t NOT score with bases loaded and one out. That would be a momentum killer. Aaron Miles was up next. First two pitches are balls one and two – now the crowd’s going crazy because a walk would end the game, and I’m flashing back to the aforementioned Mike Matheny walk. Then Miles fouls off the next two pitches – one barely made it out of play in left field. So with a 2-2 count Miles hits an infield bouncer to the short stop and the Cubs throw Pujols out at home (forceout) and try to turn the double play at first but Miles beats it out, barely. So it could have been disastrous but the net effect is bases are still loaded but with two outs now. My dad later commented that he thought the Cubs could have turned the inning-ending double play if they had gone second to first instead.
And that’s when Gary Bennett came to bat. (Incidentally, he was the hero on Saturday afternoon with both a solo home run and a walk-off RBI single, accounting for both of the only two runs the Cardinals made.) He had a 1-1 count when he jacked one into the visitor’s bullpen, and the whole place went bananas. I just began jumping up and down in place, holding Donovan (Donovan had been relaxing and nearing sleep, but the ninth inning woke him up but good). Fireworks went off, Bennett got mobbed at home plate by the Cardinals mosh pit. Really, his home run barely went out, and my dad noted that the left fielder was there in time and would have made the inning-ending out.
My dad and I watched the end of Saturday’s game at my parents’ house, and he actually called Bennett’s game winning hit. He said “line drive to left center field” just a moment before Bennett actually did just that. Uncanny. Last night my dad did it again (perhaps out of superstition?) – he called “line drive to left center field”, and it was – a line drive that barely got over the wall.
