Roberto Velazquez Alomar

I was not a fan of Roberto Alomar at first.  That changed pretty quick. 

I used to be an “opening day” guy, but that too was changed with the opening of The Skydome.  I know that technically it’s just called “Skydome”, but it sounds stupid so I add the “The”.  Tickets were too hard to get and too expensive, plus the Jays opened the 1991 season against the Red Sox making it even more impossible.  The first time I saw Alomar play live was against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday April 11^th 1991. 

Early in the game the Brewers had a runner at 2^nd base with nobody out.   The next batter hit a routine ground ball to Alomar, not a sharply hit ball at all.  Now everyone who knows baseball even a little bit knows that runners DO NOT advance when the ball is hit in front of them, but when the ball is hit behind the runner you take the base, it’s a given.   In baseball this is akin to pulling the goalie when down a goal with a minute left.  Or playing your defensive backs on the goal line for the last play of the game when you know a Hail Mary is coming.  Or putting your best free throw shooters on the floor when the other team needs to foul to stop the clock.  It’s not strategy per se, it’s just “what you do”.

Alomar comes in a couple of steps and scoops the grounder.  50,516 pair of eyes swing from Alomar to Olerud to see the pending routine out at 1^st base.  Alomar fires a seed (that I only later saw on the jumbotron) nailing the runner sliding into the 3^rd base.  Instead of a runner on 3^rd and one out and all but conceding a run; the Jays had a runner on 1^st base and one out.  Truth be told, I think the runner was probably safe, but the umpire was likely as shocked as everyone else.  I was a fan.

With Alomar you had to expect the unexpected.  His 12 All-Star appearances, 4 Silver Sluggers, 10 Gold Gloves are what got him in the hall, but it was the individual ‘in game’ moments that got us out of our seats!

My favourite Robbie Game.  How does 4 for 5 with a walk, 2 runs scored, 2 runs driven in, 8 put outs, 5 assists and a stolen base sound?  But like Alomar, the stats, as glowing as they were, belie the spectacular moments. 

Quick recap:  The Jays won the division in 1985 and lost in heart breaking fashion blowing a 3-1 lead in games to the Royals missing out on the World Series.  On September 1^st 1986 the Jays are 3 ½ games behind Boston and finish 12-18; “choking” to lose the division by 9 ½ games.  In 1987 they had a 3 ½ game lead with 7 left to play and blew the division; losing to the Tigers by two games.  In September of 1988 the Jays had the best month of any team in the American League, but still lost the division by 2 games to Boston.  They Jays would win the East in 1989 but would lose to Oakland in the ALCS in 5 games.  In 1990 the Jays would lose the division in another heartbreaker by 2 games to Boston.  Then in 1991 the Jays would again win the division and again be dismissed in 5 games by the Twins. 

Being a Jays fan was starting to suck.  They were 2-11 in their most recent 13 post season games.  It felt pretty much like they were never going to win.  It wasn’t quite like the Dodgers losing 5 consecutive World Series to the Yankees, but it was getting close.    

The 1992 post season started much the same as it had in the past.  Oakland again.  The first two games are split in Toronto meaning that the Jays have lost home field advantage.  The Jays surprisingly won game 3 on the road to wrestle back home field.  Maybe there was cause for hope?  Truth be told, most people were happy to be assured that there was going to be a sixth game this time.

So the stage is set for Game 4.

Jack Morris (21-6, 4.04) versus Bob Welch (11-7, 3.27).  It was a 1pm (Eastern) start in Oakland and Devon White opened with a strike out.  Alomar singled and was picked off by Welch and Carter fouled out to 3^rd base. 

The Bottom of the 1^st saw Henderson get on and move to 2^nd base on an error to Manny Lee.  A bunt moved him to 3^rd and Rueben Sierra walked before Harold Baines hit into an inning ending double play. 

0-0 after 1

The Jays second saw a John Olerud home run and 3 fly outs.  Morris struck out McGwire and Steinbach and induced a ground out by Carney Lansford in the Oakland half.

1-0 Jays after 2.

The third inning had Manny Lee (hit) and Alomar (walk) on with two out when Carter popped weakly to left.  Then Oakland exploded.  Three consecutive singles, a walk, sac fly, double, intentional walk, another walk and single plated 5 runs.  It also accounted for the familiar sinking feeling in southern Ontario. 

5-1 A’s after 3.

ASIDE:  There is a baseball chart called “win probability”.  In short it takes all the historical data of every game ever played and works out the end result of those games.  You can find out what the odds are of winning when you’re up a run on the road and runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with two out and 2-2 count on the batter.  In this game with Jays down 5-1 after 3 on the road, Oakland’s win probability was at 89%

The Jays were listless in the 4^th.  Olerud doubled but that was it and the Jays only saw 8 pitches in the inning.  Oakland sent 5 batters to the plate in the their half but didn’t do any more damage.

5-1 A’s after 4. Win probability, Oakland 91%

With two out in the fifth, White and Alomar singled before Carter made the 3^rd out with a lazy fly ball to center.  With Stottlemyre now pitching for the Jays a Lansford single was the only damage in the Oakland half.

5-1 A’s after 5.  Win probability, Oakland 93%

The 6^th inning saw the Jays looking very uninspired and going in order on 8 pitches.  In the Oakland 6^th, Rickey singled, stole second and scored on a ground out. 

6-1 A’s after 6.  Win probability, Oakland 97%

The Jays were still without life in the 7^th.  A Pat Borders single and a fly ball out by Gruber and strikeouts by Manny Lee and White.  Stottlemyre set down McGwire, Steinbach and Lansford in order all on groundouts.  Oakland had the appearance of just wanting the game to be over. 

6-1 A’s after 7.  Win probability, Oakland 99%

In the 8^th, the Jays finally made a little hay.  Alomar opened with a double.  Then in a classic Alomar moment, down by 5, on the road and with the count 2-0 to Carter he went completely agains "the book" and stole 3^rd.  On a full count Alomar scored on Carters sharp single to left field.  Winfield would follow with a single down the right field line moving Carter to 3^rd with none out.  Denis Eckersley (7-1, 51 saves, 1.91) came in to shut things down.  He didn’t.  Olerud singled up the middle on the first pitch driving in Carter and moving Winfield to 3^rd base.  Candy Maldonado singled on the first pitch to right field scoring Winfield and moving Olerud to 2^nd.  Eck would then get Gruber, Borders and Ed Sprague in order to stop the bleeding, but the Jays would count 3 runs on 5 hits. 

Against Timlin in the 8^th, Oakland would have two hits but the inning would end without any damage when Sierra struck out swinging on a 1-2 pitch. 

 6-4 A’s after 8.  Win probability, Oakland 93%

Cue the music.  Down two in the 9^th, Devon White was leading off and after an 8 pitch at bat against Eckersley he had a clean single to left that Rickey booted for a two base error.  White is on third when Robbie comes up.  Robbie had a 2-2 count before fouling off a couple of tough pitches.  The 7^th pitch of the at bat is drilled to right field for a no doubt two run homerun off the guy would be the American League Cy Young award winner AND MVP winner for 1992.  Eck would get the next two hitters before a single by Olerud got him pulled.  Jim Corsi would walk the bases full before getting Borders to ground out on a 2-2 pitch.

 

Now the bottom of the ninth and Ward pitching for the Jays gives up a leadoff single to Baines.  He is replaced by pinch runner Eric Fox.  Fox steals second on the next pitch.  Mark McGwire pushes a bunt to 1^st (seriously) moving Fox to 3^rd with one out.  Cue the music.  The Jays play the infield in.  The A’s have the runner going on contact.  On the 0-1 pitch, Steinbach hits the ball to second base.  Fox comes home, Alomar throws to the plate and gets him.  Lansford then grounds into a fielder’s choice to end the inning. 

6-6 A’s after 9.  Win probability, Oakland 50%

The Jays would have 2 hits in the 10^th but not score.  Oakland would go 3 up 3 down. 

6-6 A’s after 10.  Win probability, Oakland 50%

In the deciding 11^th inning Derek Bell would walk and Maldonado single moving Bell to 3^rd base.  After a line out by Gruber, Bell would score on a sac fly by Borders. 

7-6 Jays after 10 and a half.  Win probability, Toronto 83%

Oakland would go quickly and quietly against Henke in the 11^th sealing the victory.   The landscape of Toronto Baseball would be changed forever by the magnitude of the comeback.  The “Blow Jays” tag had been forever shaken.