JAYS OVERCOME 8-RUN DEFICIT, WIN ON DELGADO'S WALK-OFF HR
Delgado, Wells Combine for 11 Hits in Extra Inning
Affair
TORONTO, Apr. 27 (AP) - Carlos Delgado hit a walk-off solo home run in the
bottom of the 11th inning to complete a huge Toronto comeback as the Blue Jays
beat the Kansas City Royals, 14-13, in a wild game at Skydome that took 4:30 to
complete. The home run capped an epic performance at the plate by Delgado
who finished the day 6-for-7 with a pair of doubles to go along with the
game-winning homer. Delgado is the first American League player to tally
six hits in a game this year, and the second in the majors. Timo Perez of
the New York Mets banged out six hits in a nine-inning victory over Montreal in
San Juan on April 13. Vernon Wells, hitting immediately in front of
Delgado in the lineup, was 5-for-6, including a solo home run of his own.
The Jays finished the game with 18 hits, but still came in second in that
category as the Royals amassed 19 safeties led by Raul Ibanez who finished the
game 5-for-6 with a pair of doubles and a home run. Kansas City's Carlos
Beltran drew a major league season-high six walks in the game.
The mass of individual offensive accomplishments in the contest almost
overshadowed the Toronto comeback--but not quite.
The Royals jumped out in front in a big way with four runs--three unearned--off
Blue Jays starter Pete Walker in the top of the first inning, as they sent nine
men to the plate. Desi Relaford led off by reaching on an error by Delgado
and that opened the flood gates. Mike Sweeney singled home one run and
Ibanez doubled home another with the final two tallies scoring on Ken Harvey's
sacrifice fly and Brent Mayne's base hit.
Toronto got right back in the game in the third, with three runs. Wells'
solo homer got the Jays on the board and Tom Wilson's two-out, two-run double
cut the Kansas City lead to 4-3. The Blue Jays tied the game in the fourth
on Frank Catalanotto's solo shot.
The Royals appeared to blow the game open once and for all with a five-run
fifth. Sweeney singled, Ibanez doubled and Harvey singled Sweeney home,
driving Walker from the game and making the score 5-4. Jason Kershner
replaced Walker and issued a free pass to Mayne to load the bases. Angel
Berroa's sacrifice fly to left pushed the lead to two runs and Dee Brown doubled
home another run to make it 7-4 Royals. After Relaford popped to second,
Joe Randa's two-run single capped the scoring in the frame and left Kansas City
on top 9-4.
The Royals added two more runs in the sixth, the first on a lead-off home run
off the bat of Ibanez and the second when Brown's single drove home Berroa, who
had doubled.
The Blue Jays got a run back in the home half of the sixth on Catalanotto's
second home run of the game, but the Royals pushed two more across in the top of
the seventh on RBI singles from Ibanez and Harvey. Kansas City took a
seemingly insurmountable 13-5 lead into the bottom of the eighth.
Toronto simply wouldn't lay down. Facing reliever Ryan Bukvich, Shannon
Stewart led off by popping to short, but Catalanotto walked and was replaced by
pinch runner Jayson Werth. Wells followed with a base on balls of his
own. Delgado's single loaded the bases and Josh Phelps drew Bukvich's
third free pass of the inning, forcing in a run. It was now 13-6.
Eric Hinske then singled, moving everyone up 90 feet and cutting the deficit to
six. That brought Tom Wilson to the plate and he unloaded on a Buckvich
fastball, driving it over the center field wall for a grand slam. Suddenly
the Blue Jays were down only two runs. Bukvich was replaced by Mike
MacDougal who struck out Dave Berg and retired Chris Woodward on a comebacker to
end the inning. But the score was now 13-11.
Toronto reliever Jeff Tam had some difficulty in the top of the ninth, but
managed an inning-ending double play ball to keep the Royals off the board.
In the bottom of the inning, with MacDougal still on the mound, Stewart led off
with a walk and moved to second on Werth's base hit to right. Wells laced
a single to center, filling the bases with no outs. That brought Delgado
to the plate and, for the only time in the game, he didn't reach base
safely. But his grounder to short scored Stewart, making the score 13-12,
and moving both Werth and Wells into scoring position. Phelps drew a walk,
reloading the bases, and bringing Hinske to the plate. His ground ball to
short forced Phelps at second, but the relay to first was a fraction of a second
late, allowing Werth to score the tying run. Wilson struck out, sending
the game to extra innings.
In the top of the tenth, with Tam still pitching, Mayne doubled and was replaced
by pinch runner Carlos Febles. Berroa's fly ball drove Stewart to the wall
in center field, and advanced Febles to third with one out. Pinch hitter
Michael Tucker was walked intentionally. The Royals tried to stay out of
the double play by sending Tucker on a hit-and-run but Relaford swung and missed
and Tucker was cut down at second base. Relaford ultimately popped to
third to end the threat.
The Royals Albie Lopez was in his second inning of work in the bottom of the
11th and retired Werth and Wells for the first two outs but that brought Delgado
to the plate and he drove a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall into the stands
for a game-winning home run to complete the improbable comeback.
The two teams combined for 27 runs, 37 hits and 21 walks.
Remarkably the eight-run deficit was only the second largest overcome in a game
this year. The Seattle Mariners trailed the Texas Rangers 9-0 at one point
on April 4 before ultimately winning 14-12. But that deficit had been
completely erased by the sixth inning. The largest previous eighth inning
deficit overcome in a big league game this season was six runs, by the Mets
against the Expos on April 4.
4/27/2003, KC03-Tor03, SkyDome 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E LOB DP 2003 Royals 4 0 0 0 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 13 19 1 14 3 2003 Blue Jays 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 6 2 0 1 14 18 1 12 3 Royals AB R H BI AVG Blue Jays AB R H BI AVG Relaford 2b 6 1 0 0 .291 Stewart,Sh lf 6 1 0 0 .222 Randa 3b 6 1 3 2 .341 Catalanotto rf 4 2 2 2 .325 Lopez,M 3b 1 0 0 0 .188 Werth pr 2 2 1 0 .267 Beltran cf 1 2 0 0 .321 Wells,V cf 6 2 5 1 .287 Sweeney,Mi 1b 7 2 2 1 .309 Delgado,C 1b 7 3 6 2 .337 Ibanez lf 6 3 5 3 .297 Phelps,J dh 3 1 0 1 .327 Harvey dh 6 1 2 3 .268 Hinske 3b 4 2 1 2 .198 Mayne c 5 1 2 1 .267 Wilson,T c 6 1 2 6 .277 Febles pr 0 0 0 0 .286 Berg 2b 5 0 0 0 .314 DiFelice c 0 0 0 0 .222 Hudson,O ph 1 0 0 0 .282 Berroa ss 5 1 2 1 .187 Woodward ss 4 0 1 0 .293 Brown,D rf 4 1 3 2 .226 48 14 18 14 Berger ph 0 0 0 0 .200 Tucker,M ph 0 0 0 0 .268 47 13 19 13 Royals INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Hernandez,Ru 3.2 9 4 4 2 3 102 67 3.97 Carrasco,D 2.0 3 1 1 1 0 30 21 6.75 Grimsley H 5 1.1 0 0 0 1 1 20 11 1.35 Bukvich 0.1 3 6 6 3 0 25 10 7.27 MacDougal BS 2 1.2 2 2 2 2 2 27 15 9.31 Lopez,Al L 0-1 1.2 1 1 1 1 1 15 8 7.20 10.2 18 14 14 10 7 219 132 Blue Jays INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Walker,P 4.0 9 7 4 3 1 88 55 13.00 Kershner 0.2 2 2 2 2 0 23 12 11.25 Lopez,Aq 1.1 3 2 2 0 2 18 12 3.18 Creek 1.0 3 2 2 1 1 35 20 8.64 Miller,T 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 16 7 1.04 Tam 2.0 1 0 0 3 0 26 10 11.45 Politte W 1-0 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 16 10 6.52 11.0 19 13 10 11 5 222 126 KC : Berger batted for Brown,D in the 8th Lopez,M inserted at 3b in the 8th Berger moved to rf in the 8th Febles ran for Mayne in the 10th Tucker,M batted for Berger in the 10th DiFelice inserted at c in the 10th Tucker,M moved to rf in the 10th Tor: Werth ran for Catalanotto in the 8th Werth moved to rf in the 9th Hudson,O batted for Berg in the 10th Hudson,O moved to 2b in the 11th E-Sweeney,Mi, Delgado,C. 2B-Randa(7), Ibanez 2(7), Mayne(4), Berroa(5), Brown,D(2), Delgado,C 2(14), Wilson,T(4). HR-Ibanez(1), Catalanotto 2(6), Wells,V(4), Delgado,C(7), Wilson,T(1). RBI-Randa 2(11), Sweeney,Mi(16), Ibanez 3(14), Harvey 3(9), Mayne(5), Berroa(3), Brown,D 2(3), Catalanotto 2(12), Wells,V(13), Delgado,C 2(19), Phelps,J(16), Hinske 2(16), Wilson,T 6(9). SB-Relaford(3), Beltran(3). CS-Tucker,M. K-Sweeney,Mi, Harvey 2, Berroa 2, Catalanotto, Hinske, Wilson,T 2, Berg 2, Werth. BB-Relaford, Beltran 6, Ibanez, Mayne, Berger, Tucker,M, Stewart,Sh, Catalanotto, Wells,V, Phelps,J 3, Hinske 2, Woodward 2. SF-Harvey, Berroa. GWRBI: Delgado,C Temperature: 70, Wind: none. Attendance: 23,533 Game Time: 4:30