April 30, 2007

The One Game That Stands Out

Hal Bock at Mets.com, writes about Julio Franco and what game stands out as his best game ever:

In 1990, when he was a spry 32 and playing for the Texas Rangers, Franco made the American League All-Star team for the game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He was surrounded by the best players of the day -- Cal Ripken, Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Dennis Eckersley -- all future Hall of Famers.

The game was scoreless into seventh inning when back-to-back singles gave the National League runners at first and third against pitcher Jeff Brantley. Then heavy rains delayed play for more than an hour. During the delay, Brantley's back stiffened and Rob Dibble relieved for the National League.

When play resumed, Franco smacked the third pitch from Dibble for a double, the only extra-base hit of the game, driving in the game's only runs. The hit earned the American League a 2-0 victory and Franco was awarded the Most Valuable Player trophy.

"My mother was at the game," Franco said. "She came over from the Dominican Republic for it. It was one of the few games she saw me play.

"When they gave me the trophy, I handed it to her. It was so big and so heavy, she couldn't really hold it. It was a very special game and a very special moment for me."

No comments: