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Tuesday, September 26
U.S. shocks South Korea with dramatic homer
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Doug Mientkiewicz triumphantly tossed
his bat aside, thrust both arms into the air and started his
incredible journey around the bases.
A terrible thought almost stopped him in his muddy tracks.
|  | | Mike Kinkade of the United States slides safely into third before South Korea third baseman Kim Dong-Joo makes the tag. |
"I'll look like the world's biggest idiot if he catches it,"
he said to himself.
No way. There wasn't a right fielder in the world who could have
stolen away the United States' best moment ever in Olympic
baseball.
Mienkiewicz's drive sliced through the swirling rain and cleared
the wall for a solo homer and a 3-2 victory early Wednesday
(Tuesday night EDT) over South Korea, the same team he beat with a
grand slam a week earlier.
"I hit it, I blew on it, I sneezed on it, I did everything I
could because I wanted to go home and get out of these wet
clothes," Mientkiewicz said.
The wettest and wackiest game in Olympic baseball history ended
with a bunch of muddy Americans hugging Mientkiewicz at home. After
a long night of dispute, downpour and delay, they were headed to
their country's first gold medal game _ against archrival Cuba, no
less.
Star-crossed South Korea will play Japan for the bronze medal
before the Americans get their rematch against the only team that
beat them in the preliminaries.
It came about on a cool, rainy night that had the feel -- and the
finality -- of baseball in October.
"The emotion is very similar," said catcher Pat Borders, who
won the World Series MVP with Toronto in 1992. "The difference is
that the whole world is watching instead of just one country."
There was plenty of playoff-caliber controversy as well. The
Americans' tying run in the seventh was set up by two umpires'
blown calls on the same runner.
A thunderstorm halted play for two hours with one out and Brent
Abernathy on third in the bottom of the eighth.
When the game resumed, the Americans loaded the bases with one
out, but failed to score. Abernathy was called for interference
after he flattened the catcher with a forearm in front of the plate
as he tried to complete a home-to-first double play.
There was one more argument after Gookie Dawkins was picked off
in the bottom of the ninth, but that only set up Mientkiewicz's
latest game-winner.
Instead of trying to bunt Dawkins to second, Mientkiewicz got to
swing away. He sent the next pitch over the wall.
"I can't describe it at all," said third baseman Mike Kinkade,
slathered with mud on front and back. "It's unbelievable. That's
baseball in a nutshell right there."
It was a bookend finish to the Americans' 4-0 victory over South
Korea in the qualifying round last Wednesday. Mientkiewicz's
two-out, eighth-inning grand slam turned that game.
Mientkiewicz also had a role in the United States' tying rally
in the seventh inning Tuesday. Kinkade was tagged at first and
third on separate plays and should have been out, but wound up
scoring anyway to tie it at 2.
As he ran to first on his one-out bunt, Kinkade stepped on the
first baseman's glove after he had taken the throw a stride in
front of the base, knocking Kinkade off his feet.
Out? The Koreans thought so, but umpire Paul Begg of Australia
hesitated a few seconds before halfheartedly calling Kinkade safe,
touching off the first of several arguments.
"The play at first was a little close," Kinkade said, dodging
the question of whether he was out. "I wouldn't want to make that
call."
Mientkiewicz followed with a single through the hole at second,
sending Kinkade chugging through the muddy infield toward third. He
beat the throw with a headfirst slide, but slightly overslid the
base while being tagged.
To Korea's dismay, umpire Humberto Castillo of Venezuela called
him safe again. Marcus Jensen's sacrifice fly tied it.
It was that kind of a night.
Submarine-style pitcher Chong Tae-hyon, the only amateur on
Korea's team, was in position for the win heading into the wild
seventh.
U.S. coach Reggie Smith tried to get the Americans used to the
seldom-seen delivery by throwing batting practice sidearm on
Monday. Nice try, but it didn't work.
The United States didn't get a hit until the fourth, when Brad
Wilkerson and John Cotton doubled for a run.
The Koreans managed a pair of third-inning runs off Roy Oswalt,
a hard-throwing Double-A pitcher from the Houston Astros'
organization.
Park Jin-man, a shortstop for the Hyundai Unicorns, hit an RBI
double that smacked off the left-field wall, a foot shy of the top.
Lee Byung-kyu, an outfielder for the LG Twins, also doubled for a
2-0 lead.
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ALSO SEE
U.S.-South Korea box score
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