Sunday, July 11, 1999

INDIANS 11, REDS 10

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Vizquel homer: Corked bat or sour grapes?

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Michael Tucker chases Omar Vizquel's home run. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        CLEVELAND — Unpleasant as it was, the Reds could accept their 11-10 loss Saturday to the Cleveland Indians. Finding an explanation for the defeat was more difficult.

        Reds reliever Scott Williamson, who yielded Omar Vizquel's two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning that erased Cincinnati's 10-9 edge, hinted that the game-winning hit was somewhat tainted. The implication was that Vizquel's bat was corked, though Williamson didn't make that charge directly.

        “That's a routine pop-up right there. I didn't think anybody thought it was out. ... It was strange, some of the home runs that were hit today,” said Williamson, who surrendered his second game-winning homer in three appearances. “... Some of the hits they got, they put good swings on them and let the bat do the work for them.”

        Or, as one Red muttered after the Indians collected four homers, “Check those bats.”

        Corked bats, which are illegal, enable a hitter to generate greater bat speed without losing bulk on the bat itself, resulting in more power.

        Vizquel, who defeated Detroit on May 23 with a ninth-inning grand slam, nullified Pokey Reese's two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning that broke a 9-9 tie. Cincinnati had season highs of 10 walks and six stolen bases but left 10 runners on base.

        The Reds (48-36), who remained in first place in the National League Central, will conclude their interleague series against Cleveland and the season's first half today at Jacobs Field.

Omar Vizquel is mobbed by teammates after his two-run home run. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Accusations of corked Cleveland bats are nothing new. Albert Belle was caught with one when he was an Indian. American League rivals have whispered that right fielder Manny Ramirez, who homered twice against the Reds and barely missed a third, uses a doctored bat.

        Baseball's leading offense wiped out Cincinnati's 9-4, fifth-inning lead by driving starter Ron Villone from the mound after 4 2/3 innings and denting Cincinnati's bullpen for six runs (five earned) in four innings.

        “We're not the only club that didn't hold these guys,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said. “They can hit.”

        The Reds understood that their bullpen will occasionally falter.

        “Our bullpen has been great,” McKeon said. “I can't say anything but good things about it. We just didn't have it today.”

        McKeon was less impressed with Vizquel's homer, though he didn't cast the same type of aspersions that Williamson did.

        “I thought it was a pop fly to right field,” McKeon said. “But I guess it got up in the wind and away it went.”

        Danny Graves opened the Indians' ninth by walking Jim Thome.

        Williamson replaced Graves and, after Kenny Lofton's sacrifice bunt, he struck out Jacob Cruz on three pitches.

        Then Vizquel, who had only two homers in 288 previous at-bats, yanked a 1-0 pitch to right field. Michael Tucker, who robbed Ramirez of a possible three-run homer with a catch against the wall in the fifth inning, collided with the wall as he chased the drive. The ball barely cleared the barrier as Tucker fell to the warning track with a bruised left hip.

        “I threw a good pitch at (Vizquel),” said Williamson, the rookie All-Star selection. “He went out and got it, pulled a tailing fastball away from him. He didn't get it on the solid part of the bat, but it ended up going out. ... I really don't see how he could pull that ball out of the park.”

        For the Reds, the shock of losing the game merged with the horror of seeing Tucker lying on the ground. But he righted himself after nearly a minute and left the field on his own power.

        “I thought I had a bead on (the ball),” Tucker said. “It looked like the same play as Ramirez's first ball. If I had another step or two. ...”

       

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