Monday, May 11, 1998

BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Eddie Taubensee reaches to tag Pittsburgh's Al Martin as he slides across home plate trying to score on an outfield single. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

PITTSBURGH -- This one had just about everything:

A fantastic pitching duel, a go-ahead home run by the budding star, a dramatic ninth-inning comeback by the home team, a blown save, a great throw to the plate, a bad call on what should have been the game-winning run and the game-winning hit by a guy who has been in a season-long funk.

Score it Reds 4, Pirates 3, an entertaining extravaganza that ended when Reggie Sanders singled in the top of the 12th inning to score Bret Boone with the go-ahead run. Stan Belinda closed it out in the bottom half for the victory, ending the Reds' season-long 10-game road trip at 6-4.

"We can make it interesting, can't we?" manager Jack McKeon said. "Boonie comes through, and when we need the big hit, Reggie gets it done. I'll tell you, a lot of guys are contributing."

Despite the win, Gabe White's blown save in the ninth ruined another masterful performance by Reds starter Pete Harnisch, who retired 21 batters in a row at one point -- only to have the lead slip away.

Harnisch and Pirates ace Francisco Cordova were locked in a tense pitching duel for eight innings, a matchup so tight that one hit could cost Harnisch the win. That's what happened.

Harnisch had allowed two runs in the second inning -- a homer to Kevin Young and a run-scoring single to Jose Guillen -- but other than that had been stunning. He struck out 12, tying a career high, and after Guillen's hit retired 21 hitters in a row from the second to the end of the eighth inning. He led 3-2 in the going into the ninth, thanks to a two-run homer by Dmitri Young in the seventh.

"I had an exceptional changeup today. It was the best it's been all year," Harnisch said. "I spotted my fastball well. I thought I had pretty good stuff."

Dmitri Young gets a congratulatory pat after hitting a two run homer in the seventh. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Pirates leadoff man Tony Womack broke Harnisch's string of retirees to start the ninth, singling to right, and Harnisch was done. The next batter was left-hander Al Martin, so McKeon brought in left-handed reliever White to face him.

Womack, one of the top base-stealers in the National League, stole second, and White gave up a single to Martin to score Womack and tie it at 3-3. Martin took second on the throw home, moved to third on a groundout and tried to score on a single by Kevin Young off Jeff Shaw.

But Nunnally's throw home cut down Martin, who had hesitated before leaving third, and saved the game.

"I just saw he didn't go at first, so I said, "I've got a shot,' " said Nunnally. "I just let it fly."

A replay showed Martin's hand actually swiped home plate before catcher Eddie Taubensee got the tag down, but the out stood and Shaw retired the side. Shaw and Belinda each pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Still, the game was tied 3-3 and going into extra innings and stayed that way until the 12th, when Boone lined a two-out double to left. With first base open, the Pirates decided to walk rookie Sean Casey to get to Sanders, who had entered the game in the 11th as a pinch-hitter.

Sanders lined a single up the middle to score Boone for the game-winner. The walk to Casey, he said, was what got him fired up.

"Big-time. That motivated me more than anything. I felt like a rookie again," said Sanders, showing some spark he had been missing this season in his .208 start. "I want to start swinging the bat and start proving to people I'm back."

Meanwhile, Harnisch (eight innings, four hits, three runs) ended with a no-decision again, the sixth time that has happened in his eight starts this season. It was the third time he has been the victim of a blown save.

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