On Friday, April 23, 1999, it was a date that was recorded on fire in the Miracles Bitácora: Fernando tateDominican before St. Louis Cardinalsconnected dos grand slams In the same inning, an achievement that no one had ever signed in the 150 years of history of the Great Leagues.
For some calendar whim, baseball usually reserves its most unusual chapters for the aodine afternoons of the early season, when the vast majority of fans have not yet unpacked the winter jacket.
The scenario of the facts
He Dodger Stadium dawned overwhelmed, with 46,689 spectators who expected to see Chan ho park prolong your good streak. Dodgerswest leaders at that time, they received some Cardinals that sailed in the half table of the central. Tony La Russaleader of the bench, placed Tatis as third in order, behind Darren Bragg y J.D. Drewand just in front of the fearsome and legendary Mark McGwire.
The young Dominican piece arrived with five windows in the season, but carried an average discreet .238. Nothing pretended so much madness.
Madness with the first palazo
High part of the third entry, Cardinals 2, Dodgers 2.
Chan ho park opened the episode hitting Bragg, Drew negotiate billet, McGwire yields the first out with high short. The bases were filled after single from Willie McGee y Parkclearly out of rhythm, give a base by balls to Eric Davis: 3-2. That is when Tatis It is installed in the batting box with a 2-0 account, Park It serves a warm line, to the center of the plate and ¡BOOM!the ball took the highway of the left garden and lands 411 feet later, in the second row of bleachers. Grand Slam. 7 × 2.
The rumble just goes out when The Russian orders patience: “Keep pressing”. And the bates obey: Bragg connects simple, Drew walk again and McGwire Receive another intentional passport. The Angelian Bullpen remains mute: Davey Johnsonmanager of Dodgerstrust that Park Find the compass.
According to Gran Slam
Same entrance, two outs, bases full again.
Park has allowed five races, but Johnson He lets him end the boots set. Tatis Return to the dish with identical script: full pads and the incredulous stand. This time the account reaches 3-2. Park risk with a fast ball up and inside; Fernando tate Turn the dolls like a whipper and the ball is fired at 416 feet, higher, further, until you get lost behind the bullpen of Dodgers. According to Grand Slam.
The electronic annotations jump from 11-2 to 15-2. In eight minutes, the Dominican towed eight races and turned the stadium into a mausoleum.
Park Leave the morrito with the worst line of his career: 2.2 IP, 11 C, 11 Cl, 3 BB, 2 HBP and, above all, two historical scars. The reliever Jamie Arnold Finally close the entrance, but the disaster is already irreparable.
Anatomy of a miracle
- 1. Unique in its kind: Before 23-04-99, only 12 players had sounded two Grand Slams in a game; None had done it in the same entry. After Tatisnobody has even approached.
- 2. Eight driven in an inning: He tied the brand of more races produced in an episode (shared with Jim Bottomley, 1924).
- 3. Replica speed: Just eight batters and 28 launches separated the two bambinazos.
- 4. Butterfly effect: Without those Grand Slams, Park would have come out with an acceptable 3-2 against; Dodgers Maybe they went back. San Luis finally won 15-2 thanks to the mattress of Tatis.
Life curiosities in that 1999
Fernando Tatis closed 1999 with 34 homers and 107 driventhe best campaign of his career. However, he never generated the same rumble again. The injuries blurred it and the memory was encapsulated in that third Inning Angelino that forced the blackboards to recycle characters to show an impossible “15”.
At the end of the game, a reporter asked him if he understood the magnitude of what he had done. Tatis He smiled, still with the envelope in his voice: “Maybe tomorrow”. Twenty -six years later, we still try to process it. Because baseball allows any fantasy, but almost never repeats it. That April afternoon, Fernando tate He wrote a line that seems armored against the ink of the future.
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