My basement was utter pandemonium when FOX showed Ichiro rounding third on his inside-the-park home run. I think it was the most exciting moment in Seattle sports since Kelly Herndon's interception in Super Bowl XL.
Which got me thinking where does it rank in Mariner All-Star game history?
It's gotta be #1, and here are the rest that I could think of.
#2) Bruce Bochte's pinch-hit, go-ahead single in the 1979 All-Star Game at the Kingdome.
Think this wasn't a big deal because the Mariners sucked? You'll think again if you read Eric Flom's essay on HistoryLink:
With no outs and the go-ahead run just 90 feet away, the situation was perfect to send up a pinch-hitter. The crowd must have sensed this, for a chant began all over the Kingdome -- soft at first, then louder and louder: “We want Bochte; We want BOCHTE; WE WANT BOCHTE!!”
As Bochte's hit sailed into the outfield, the crowd erupted into a frenzied roar -- one that was probably louder, and longer, than any other baseball cheer in Kingdome history, at least until the Mariners made their miraculous pennant run in 1995.
#3) Griffey's home run in the 1992 All-Star Game.
The year before, Griffey had had the first Mariner hit in an All-Star Game since 1979, now he delivered the first Mariner All-Star Game extra base hit ever. It also made him the clear favorite for the All-Star MVP, which he won.
#4) Mike Cameron's speed double in the 2001 All-Star Game.
This one was special because Mike Cameron was such a fan favorite, because the game was at Safeco, and because he made such an exciting play out of a dunker to left-centerfield.
#5) Edgar Martinez' home run in the 1997 All-Star Game.
The M's had four players (Martinez, A-Rod, Griffey and Randy Johnson) in the starting lineup for this game. Edgar led off the 2nd with a home run into over Jacobs Field's big leftfield wall for the first run of the game.
Photo: REUTERS/Richard Clement
0 comments:
Post a Comment