DEL.ICIO.USBraves walk away with winning run in 10th
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
The Braves have had more than their share of unusual losses, and Tuesday they picked up a bizarre victory.
A balk by Colorado pitcher Taylor Buchholz with two outs in the 10th inning gave the Braves a 5-4 win in the series opener against the Rockies at Turner Field.
Pouya Dianat/pdianat@ajc.com
Braves Omar Infante celebrates with Kelly Johnson after Colorado Rockies pitcher Taylor Buchholz balked — bringing in Johnson for the winning score of the game in the tenth inning.
Call it a walk-off balk, or a balk-off win. Whatever, it was just the eighth win in 35 one-run games for the Braves.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said Kelly Johnson, who scored the winning run on the balk. “I don’t think we’ve even lost that way this year.”
Johnson, the Braves’ hottest hitter lately, got things going in the 10th with a pinch-hit, two-out single against Buchholz. Rookie Josh Anderson followed with a double to put runners at second and third.
Omar Infante came to bat, and Buchholz appeared to step off the rubber after starting his delivery on what would have been the first pitch to Infante.
Home-plate umpire Wally Bell signaled balk and called for Johnson to come home — which he did, to a throng of Braves who poured from the dugout to celebrate.
“That was crazy,” said Braves closer Mike Gonzalez, relieved that the Braves came back to win after he had given up a tying homer to Garrett Atkins in the ninth inning to snap his streak of 39 consecutive saves converted.
Johnson quipped: “I think [Buchholz] saw me take an extra step on my lead in his windup. He thought I was going to pull a Jackie Robinson” and steal home.
It had been 15 years since the Braves won on a game-ending balk, in July 1993 against Florida. They lost a game against the Marlins on a two-out, ninth-inning balk by John Rocker in a May 2000 game.
“Shoot, we’ll take ‘em any way we can,” Anderson said after the team’s eighth win in 28 games, which prevented the Braves from falling to more than 20 games below .500, a mark they’ve so far managed to avoid.
“I was happy to get a chance to come back up,” said Johnson, who struck out with a runner at third to end the eighth inning.
Braves starter Jorge Campillo was charged with three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings but got no decision to remain winless in six starts since Aug. 8.
The Braves were poised to end the game in the ninth after consecutive one-out singles by Chipper Jones and Brian McCann off reliever Manual Corpas.
Yunel Escobar, who already grounded into 24 double plays to tie Atlanta’s single-season record, hit what could’ve been the record-breaker on a grounder to third base, but it was booted by Ian Stewart.
Escobar had a reprieve, and the Braves had the bases loaded with one out.
Casey Kotchman, whose two-out, two-run double in the first inning put the Braves ahead 3-0, now had a chance to win. He hit a sharp grounder, and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki made a sensational diving stop to his left and started a 6-4-3 double play.
“We can’t win it with a line drive,” manager Bobby Cox said, shaking his head. “It’s amazing. Our whole season is nothing but lineouts in extra innings.”
Atkins’ leadoff homer against Gonzalez in the ninth inning erased a 4-3 lead and handed the left-hander his first blown save in 40 attempts since June 25, 2004, when Gonzalez was a Pittsburgh rookie.
“It was fun while it lasted,” said Gonzalez. “Now I’ve got to start another streak. If anything, I feel bad for Campy. I wanted to get him the win today; he pitched great. I’m just glad we came back to win the game.”
In nine days, Gonzalez has lost twice and blown a save, after not losing in two years and not blowing a save in four years.
Campillo was staked to an early three-run lead and didn’t give up a hit until the fourth inning, when Matt Holliday hit a one-out single and Brad Hawpe hit a two-run homer. It was Hawpe’s 24th, tying Matt Holliday for the team lead.
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