10/21/14

Walk-off Wins

I always enjoy going to Pirate games. It is always a ton of fun when they win. What makes the games the best are walk-off wins. Three of the games that I went to in the 2014 season were walk-off wins. I was at the second game of the season on April 2 against the Chicago Cubs when Pirates catcher Tony Sanchez hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 16th inning off of Cubs pitcher Carlos Villanueva to give the Pirates a 4-3 victory. I was at the game on June 27 against the New York Mets when Pirates infielder Josh Harrison hit a walk-off RBI double off of Mets pitcher Vic Black to give the Pirates a 3-2 win. Also, I was at the July 19 game against the Colorado Rockies when Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer hit a walk-off RBI double off of Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis for another 3-2 win. While those games were fun, it is always more fun to see a walk-off home run. Fortunately, I have seen it happen twice. July 17, 2009 was the date of the Pirates first game after the All Star Break. Paul Maholm got the start for the Pirates and Tim Lincecum got the start for the San Francisco Giants. I was at the game with my dad, my friend Evan, and his dad. We were seated in the front row behind right field. The Pirates got on the board early when Pirates outfielder Garrett Jones hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. The Pirates had a 1-0 lead until the top of the seventh inning when Giants outfielder Randy Winn scored on Paul Maholm's wild pitch. The game proceeded to go into extras. After the final out was recorded in the top of the 14th inning, I shouted to Garrett Jones "Come on, Garrett! Send us home happy!" Since I was seated right behind him and that he was to lead off the 14th inning, I felt it was appropriate. On the second pitch of the at bat, Garrett Jones responded to my request, as he hit the Bob Howry offering out of the stadium to give the Pirates a 2-1 vicoty. The second game in which I saw a similar result was September 29, 2012 against the Cincinnati Reds. I was seated along the third base line with my parents. It was a chilly fall night and Pirates rookie Kyle McPherson took the hill against Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake. The game was a pitchers' duel. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when Pirates outfielder Alex Presley hit an RBI double to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, that lead did not last long, as Reds infielder Scott Rolen hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game at 1. The score remained the same until the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen came to bat against Reds pitcher Jonathan Broxton. On a 2-2 pitch, Cutch drilled Broxton's offering over the right-centerfield wall to give the Pirates a 2-1 win. These games are always fun to watch.

Below is a link to Garrett Jones's walk-off home run. If you look carefully, you will see me raising my arms up in celebration. I am seated behind the Roberto Clemente wall in the front row.

http://m.mlb.com/video/v5600505/sfpit-jones-wins-it-with-a-walkoff-homer/?c_id=mlb