It wasn’t quite Kirk Gibson hitting a home run to win a World Series game, but Mark McGwire’s pinch homer in the eighth inning of St. Louis’ 10-4 victory over Atlanta on Thursday was one to remember.
The Busch Stadium crowd had been electric when the game began until a big lead toned down its enthusiasm. When McGwire limped to the plate, bad knee and all, the fans stood like it was the bottom of the ninth in a close game.
“I was just hoping to hit the ball,” said McGwire, whose injured right knee limits him to pinch-hitting duties in the playoffs. “The expectations that everybody has on me are so great that it just doesn’t happen.”
Of course, it doesn’t. And nobody can hit 70 homers in a season.
“I got a pitch to drive; I thought it was too low and wasn’t going to get out,” McGwire said. “With Andruw [Jones] and his speed and the way he runs after the ball I wasn’t too sure, but it did.”
Future shock? The silence surrounding Dusty Baker’s future has been deafening.
Despite having his contract expire at the end of the season and his success as manager of the Giants, there hasn’t been much of a buzz surrounding what will happen over the winter. Most of that is because Baker has chosen not to address the subject.
The Giants made Baker a new contract offer before the start of the season, but Baker said he didn’t want to negotiate a new deal because of personal reasons, according to people within the organization.
Baker is making about $750,000 and is rumored to be looking for a multimillion-dollar contract.
Whether he wants to talk about it or not, Baker will likely be asked about his future, now that it appears the Dodgers are going to fire Davey Johnson. Sources within the team also say that Baker’s relationship with the Giants’ ownership group of Peter Magowan and Laurence Baer isn’t great and that while Baker wants to stay in San Francisco, he wouldn’t mind making Magowan and Baer sweat a little.
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Hit and run: The White Sox weren’t the only team to fleece Milwaukee in off-season trades. St. Louis obtained Fernando Vina for middle reliever Juan Acevedo and two minor leaguers and all Vina did was lead National League second baseman in fielding percentage and hit .300 while batting leadoff for the Cardinals.
The 5-foot-9-inch Vina also was one tough player, getting hit by a major-league-high 28 pitches without even wearing any of the armor that is so popular among even the burliest home run hitter.
“I don’t know if it is stupid to get hit so much,” said Vina, who was hit by John Burkett in the sixth inning on Thursday. “I am trying to get on base any way I can. I do my thing.”
Home sweet: One of the constant themes in the first two games is the supposed tremendous homefield advantage the Giants enjoy at Pac Bell Park. Mets manager Bobby Valentine has been asked about it every day and appears to be getting tired of it. Both teams were 55-26 at home this season.
“You bat last at home,” Valentine said. “That’s the biggest advantage you have. The fans at our ballpark can make noise as anyone in the league.”