Rob:
The art of fiction is dead.
I’m sorry I had to lead off by borrowing a line from Red Smith, but I can’t come up with an opening of my own to do this game justice. Hollywood hath no script like this one.
I’ll be honest: This wasn’t the outcome I hoped for going into the bottom of the ninth. That has nothing at all to do with any bias toward the Yankees. It wasn’t personal; it was strictly business. Bob Brenly had screwed his team 18 ways from Sunday, perhaps the worst managerial job I have ever seen in the postseason, and he didn’t deserve to win.
Perhaps. Maybe Bob Brenly didn’t get what he deserved. But the rest of the Diamondbacks—and the rest of baseball—did. And do you know how amazing that is? Do you know how rarely the game of baseball rewards those who persevere? Do you know how rarely baseball gives those who have failed a second chance?
Tonight, in the bottom of the ninth inning, baseball gave all of us reason to hope.
The rally was ignited by a leadoff single from Mark Grace, in his 14th season of a career better than several Hall of Fame first basemen.
The winning run was scored by Jay Bell, who was last seen in a Game 7 walking off the field following Francisco Cabrera’s NLCS-ending single in 1992.
The winning hit came off the bat of Luis Gonzalez, considered by many to be the nicest player (or at least nicest star) in the major leagues, who up to that point was having a postseason straight out of Barry Bonds’ career.
The winning pitcher was Randy Johnson, who had carried as many mediocre teams into the postseason as anyone in history, whose willingness to pitch beyond the limits of reason was so well-documented that when he came out of the bullpen, having thrown 104 pitches the night before, nobody even blinked.
Johnson shared the MVP award with Curt Schilling, who had what can only be described as the greatest postseason run by a pitcher ever, but was three outs away from suffering an excruciating repeat of his experience with the 1993 Phillies.
The Diamondbacks broke not one, but two curses tonight. Forget the Curse of the Balboni; with Luis Gonzalez, Mark Grace, and Mike Morgan, the Diamondbacks had three ex-Cubs, and the Curse of the Ex-Cub Factor hasn’t been broken in 41 years.
The last team to win with three ex-Cubs? The last team to inspire such hope in the improbable: the 1960 Pirates.
If the Diamondbacks can win, maybe there’s reason for the rest of us to believe. If the Diamondbacks can rally against the greatest team in sports history, against the greatest postseason closer in baseball history, then maybe nothing is impossible.
If the Diamondbacks can overpower the weight of the inevitable to bring a championship to an entire state that had never won one, what could be next?
Pay attention, Boston. There’s hope for you yet.
