Starting Nine: Swing state
The Hall of Fame's Starting Nine includes must-see artifacts from every big league team. Check out the Diamondbacks Starting Nine online.
Luis Gonzalez was facing Mariano Rivera with the World Series on the line.
Both did their job. But it was Gonzalez and his Arizona Diamondbacks who walked off with the title.
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The D-backs and the Yankees squared off in Game 7 of the World Series on Nov. 4, 2001, at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. Starting pitchers Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens put up zeros through five innings before the Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the sixth on a Danny Bautista double that scored Steve Finley.
But the Yankees responded immediately in the top of the seventh when Derek Jeter scored on an RBI single by Tino Martinez. Then in the eighth, Alfonso Soriano led off the inning with a home run, putting New York ahead 2-1 and setting the stage for a well-rested Rivera, who had not pitched since Game 5 on Nov. 1.
Rivera struck out the side in the eighth, with Gonzalez fanning to start the frame. But with two outs, Finley singled – advancing the batting order one place to give Gonzalez a date with destiny in the ninth.
After Randy Johnson retired the Yankees in order in the ninth, Mark Grace singled off Rivera to start the bottom of the inning. David Dellucci pinch ran for Grace and advanced to second when Rivera threw wildly to second on Damien Miller’s bunt, putting two on with no one out.
Rivera recorded an out at third base when Dellucci was forced out on a Jay Bell bunt attempt. But with Midre Cummings now on second base as a pinch runner for Miller, Tony Womack lashed a double down the right field line, scoring Cummings to tie the game and sending Bell to third.
Rivera then hit Craig Counsell with a pitch to bring up Gonzalez, who had homered 57 times during the regular season.
With Jeter drawn onto the infield grass at shortstop to cut down the runner at home, Gonzalez lifted a flare over the infield that barely reached the outfield grass, scoring Bell with the World Series-winning run.
The pitch was a classic cutter from Rivera, placed perfectly near the top inside half of the strike zone where the batter cannot drive it. But with the infield in, all Gonzalez needed was soft contact.
Hitless in four at-bats in the game to that point, Gonzalez fouled off the first pitch he saw – a fastball down middle of the plate. Just prior to the second pitch, FOX’s Tim McCarver pointed out to the TV audience that “The one problem is Rivera throws inside to left-handers, and left-handers get a lot of broken-bat hits into…the shallow part of the outfield. That’s the danger of bringing the infield in with a guy like Rivera on the mound.”
On the next pitch, Gonzalez fulfilled McCarver’s prediction.
“Stepping up to the plate there, ninth inning, is what everybody dreams about,” Gonzalez said. “That’s the first time I choked up on the bat all year, just looking in on everything, and I got jammed. I knew the infield was playing in and I didn’t have to try to hit it hard, just loop something out there and get it in play.”
The bat Gonzalez used for his World Series-winning hit is on display in the Museum’s Autumn Glory exhibit.
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Starting Nine
The Hall of Fame's Starting Nine is a lineup of must-see artifacts from our vast collection containing tens of thousands of pieces that preserve the magical moments and memorable stories of our National Pastime. Our curators have spent countless hours hand-picking special objects from every major league team to create a lineup of pieces you simply won’t believe we have!
