UDBF: McGriff's Quest for 500

[RayofHope]

Note: This is not a dynasty report, but rather a single story on something I've been tearing my hair out over all UDBF season long, Fred McGriff's quest for 500 homers, while keeping the club winning enough to re-sign Beltran. This is the best place I could think to put it, other than the league message board! For background on this story, check out http://udbf.proboards27.com/index.cg...num=1088744857

10/4/04:

With a month left to play in the season, Carlos Beltran successfully signed to a long term extension, and McGriff stranded on 496 homers, Tino Martinez approached manager Lou Piniella about his desire to sit down against right handers, allowing McGriff to start at first base against at least right handers.

Piniella complied.

Still, two weeks later, with only two weeks left in the season (McGriff's last), and with the media spotlight shining as bright on the Tampa Bay area as when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup and the Bucs won the Superbowl, McGriff had added but one home run, leaving him on 497.

Things looked grim for the Crime Dog.

Then Eddie Perez stood up in the clubhouse, and announced his decision . . . he wanted to sit down against left handers, and allow the Crime Dog to start at first base against both lefties AND righties. The army of back-ups at first base stood, inspired by the selflessness of both Martinez and Perez, and spoke in unision - they too did not want to play another game at first for the remainder of the season. Finally, for the first time all year, first base belonged to McGriff, and McGriff alone.

With one week of games left to be played, McGriff still had not hit another home run, still he was three shy. The all time leader in hits at Tropicana Field, home of the Devil Rays, had been reduced to 4 home games (against Toronto and the Red Sox) and then 3 final games on the road, in Detroit, a home run hitter's nightmare.

McGriff sorely wanted to hit #500 at home, infront of his home town friends, family, and fans. He knew something had to be done if he was to achieve this goal. He knew that with the final three games of the year in Detroit, he HAD TO make his charge. He had to do this at home.

9/26/04 . . . Tropicana Field, Toronto at Tampa Bay

After chasing right handed starter Roy Halladay with 8 runs, 5 earned on 5 hits in 1 and 2/3rd innings, right hander Kerry Ligtenberg came on to finish the game.

Fourth innning, with nobody out and McGriff due to bat third. After the first out of the inning, the crowd roared when McGriff entered the on deck circle. Just moments later, the roof was raised off the Dome when Edgardo Alfonzo (player of the game with 7 RBI) was retired, bringing McGriff to the plate with 2 out and nobody on.

Nerves cascaded through McGriff's arms, legs, stomach, and for one brief moment, he felt he would be sick. He knew he had to do something.

And he did.

McGriff put a charge into the 90mph Ligtenberg fastball located well, down and away, his bat looping around his head in typical McGriff fashion after a well hit ball. The vision of McGriff's bat looping around his head brought back memories of McGriff's glory days with Toronto, San Diego, and to some extent Atlanta.

Devil Rays 19, Blue Jays 3.

498.

9/27/04 . . . Tropicana Field, Boston at Tampa Bay

This time, McGriff was feeling it. He had been renewed by his home run the previous day, an a degree of youthful joy had returned to the Crime Dog's 40 year old body. His body seemed lighter, his bat faster.

RHP Curt Schilling on the mound might as well have been a little leaguer pitching for the very first time as McGriff lead off the inning.

The ball looked huge, it was a breaking ball out over the plate that didn't break, and McGriff punished it over the centerfield wall, over the restaurant in centerfield, a real no doubter.

Devil Rays 6, Red Sox 4.

499.

9/28/04 . . . Tropicana Field, Boston at Tampa Bay.

Another right hander takes the mound in the fashion of 15-12 Byung-hyun Kim.

In the third inning, a 2-2 tie having been broken the very at bat before McGriff by Edgardo Alfonzo's 2 run home run, there's nobody on and two out, the Crime Dog steps up to the plate.

The crowd roars. Cameras flash.

A knee high 92 mph heater from Kim streaks past McGriff's bat and pops into Varitek's glove, set-up over the inside corner. Strike one as Crime Dog's bat loops around his head . . . that one would have been 500.

A 90 mph heater soars high and outside, 1-1.

Crime Dog watches the 87 mph sinker fade down and away, 2-1.

Varitek flashes one finger, and sets up in the same location as the first pitch. A 93 mph heater slams into Varitek's glove, which has moved off the plate inside . . . the umpire calls ball 3. Hitter's count. This may be the best chance he has left.

This time, the catcher sets up outside again. The change up is below the knees, and off the plate outside, but McGriff has been given the all clear to swing away. His bat, way out infront, misses the change up by a mile, and the count is full.

McGriff thinks.

"Fast ball. I have to look fast ball."

Kim winds up, and releases the pay-off pitch.

"It's a fast ball," McGriff recognizes, as he readies to swing for the stands, "here comes 500."

Horror strikes McGriff's face as he sees the rotation on the ball, it's another sinker, but it's belt high and on the inside corner, sinking down and away from the lefty. McGriff tries the impossible. He has no time. He can't adjust his swing this late.

Everything is quiet. Then there's a faint, barely audible click, and the pop of the ball hitting Varitek's glove. He's foul tipped it, and Varitek's caught it, thinks McGriff, as his head rolls back in anguish.

As he begins to turn away, he notices out the corner of his eye, the ball is on the ground. Varitek has dropped it. He has another shot.

McGriff calls time as he resets in the batter's box.

Still he hears nothing . . . is the crowd even cheering? His heart is beating, that much he knows, he can hear it as loud as if someone has plucked it from his chest and held it, still beating, right next to his ear.

McGriff does not think. He just reacts. Thinking almost cost him his out the last at bat.

The pitch is a slider, the first he has seen from Kim today, that tails inside to the lefty, belt high.

McGriff swings.

Contact is made.

The ball is pulled to right field, in the air, decent contact has been made, but he got under it a little, and thinks he's pulled it foul.

He sees Mondesi in right field chasing it back toward the corner, and slows his flyball out trot to first to watch the flight of the ball, "that may stay fair."

The crowd is on it's feet, screaming in one, something pops inside McGriff's ear as the noise from the crowd fades back into his audible range, quiet at first, then slowly rising to a deafening roar, "have they really been this loud the entire time? Was it like this for Wade?"

Then McGriff realizes. "That may carry."

He watches with the crowd, and McGriff's heart leaps into his throat with the collective heart of the crowd and the single leap of Mondesi. The right fielder leaps high, his glove disappears behind the wall, and he pulls it back quickly.

"He caught it. That was 500, and he brought it back." Thinks McGriff. The crowd has once again gone quiet, partly due to McGriff being caught up in the moment, partly because they aren't sure if Mondesi has brought it back.

Mondesi lands on his feet, smiles, and winks at McGriff.

He shrugs his shoulders and opens his glove to show the world.

Number 500 has just been hit.

___________________________________________


In the end, things worked out for the best for both the Devil Rays and the Crime Dog, with the Rays finishing strong (7-3 in their last 10 and an 85-77 record, but still 6 games behind second place New York and 15 behind the team they just beat) and McGriff slugging #500 in his final year.

McGriff did not hit another home run in the remaining 4 games. But that didn't matter. He'd homered in three straight. He'd finished his career with exactly 500 homers. He may have only hit .238-9-23 in his final year that totaled 68 games and 147 ABs. But that didn't matter.

He'd hit 500. And he'd done it at home, just a short drive across a long bridge from where he grew up.

3 days later, McGriff would play his 2500th career game. Nobody noticed.

It had been the perfect story, and he knew it would have the perfect ending, with a bust in a big building in some NY town called Cooper, Cooperstown.
____________________________________________

UDBF Fred McGriff:

2501 GP, 8832 AB, 2512 H, 442 2B, 24 3B, 500 HR, 1566 RBI, .284 BA, .887 OPS.

[rem]

Cool.

[And1pg2]

Very Good Story nicely written and good for the crime dog.

[BostonRS14]

Congrats to the Crime Dog...now he can dedicate his life to Tom Emansky and his Instructional videos.

[RayofHope]

Originally Posted by BostonRS14

Congrats to the Crime Dog...now he can dedicate his life to Tom Emansky and his Instructional videos.