Saturday, July 22 A muff after 428 perfect chances Associated Press |
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Omar Vizquel misplayed a routine ground ball in the fifth inning of Cleveland's game with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night, snapping his 95-game errorless streak.
The error, his first since Sept. 25, 1999, occurred when he couldn't handle a short-hop on a grounder by Matt Lawton, and it led to two unearned runs for the Twins, who went on to a 10-6 victory. "It was a tough play, a slider that hit off the end of the bat," Vizquel said. "One of my goals since I stepped into the big leagues was to go a whole season without an error."
Lawton said the ball squibbed off his bat and was a tough chance, even for Vizquel.
"If that guy doesn't make the play, you know something's wrong," Lawton said. "If it wasn't spinning, he makes the play easy. But, it was an error." Vizquel's streak was the second-longest in major league history behind New York Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez's 101-game string set from June 14, 1999 through March 29, 2000.
"I couldn't hardly believe it," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "I felt for him." Vizquel, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, had been tied with Cal Ripken for the longest streak in the American League at 95 games. He handled 428 chances without a miscue during his streak. |
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