Sunday, July 08, 2001
New hero every day for Twins
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Another game, another new hero for the Minnesota Twins. Pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, lifting Minnesota to a 7-6 victory over the Reds on Saturday night.
“I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time,” said Pierzynski, who batted for Tom Prince. “I won't lie. I wasn't even trying to get a hit. I was just trying to hit a fly ball long enough to score the runner.”
The first-place Twins have won 12 of 14, and they maintained their four-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.
Pierzynski's deep fly to right field off Hector Mercado easily scored Denny Hocking, who started the eighth with a double off reliever Jim Brower (4-6) and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Jacque Jones.
“Give most of the credit to Denny,” Pierzynski said. “That was the biggest play of the inning, not my fly ball.”
Bob Wells (7-3) got the victory, despite giving up a two-run homer to Ruben Rivera in the top of the eighth that tied it at 6.
Brower, who pitched 4 1-3 innings of one-hit ball, had retired seven straight before Hocking's double.
“I wanted to feel good about my outing, but it was marred,” Brower said. “The Twins are built for this ballpark and they find a way to win. Take the eighth — double, sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly. They make it look easy.”
LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 27 opportunities. With one out, he gave up a single to Ken Griffey Jr., who was lifted for pinch-runner Wilton Guerrero.
Hawkins then struck out Dmitri Young on a 3-2 pitch, and Pierzynski, who came in to catch in the ninth, threw out Guerrero attempting to steal second to end it.
“There's a standing joke in the locker room that I can't even hold onto the ball,” said Pierzynski, who has thrown out just eight of 24 base stealers this season. “He foul-tipped it. Maybe that helped.”
It was the 30th come-from-behind victory this season for the Twins, who are 19-9 in one-run games.
“It's been fun for everybody,” manager Tom Kelly said. “We've got to tip our hats to the guys coming off the bench and getting the job done for us. A.J. came through.”
At 54-32, the Twins have clinched their best winning percentage at the All-Star break since 1970, when they were 54-28 (.659).
More than half of their victories have come when they've had to fight back.
“It's partly because we believe and partly because we don't give up,” Hocking said. “We've been battle-tested this year.”
Torii Hunter hit a two-run homer off Cincinnati starter Lance Davis, and Matt Lawton drove in two runs with a single during a four-run rally in the third as the Twins erased a 4-1 deficit.
“TK uses 25 guys, and we're all just doing our jobs right now,” Pierzynski said. “We're all getting it done.”
Twins Notes: Every starter had at least one hit for Minnesota. ... The Twins hit five doubles, moving them past Boston for most doubles (189) in the majors. ... Eddie Guardado's appearance in the seventh was the 469th of his career, moving him past Jim Kaat into second place behind Rick Aguilera (490) for most by a Twins pitcher ... Kaat and long-time broadcaster Herb Carneal were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame before Saturday's game.
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New hero every day for Twins
