*** THIS DATE IN #REDS HISTORY! August 17, 1999 *** CHRIS STYNES HR WINS EXCITING EXTRA INNING WALKOFF! Reds manager Jack McKeon called on pinch-hitter Chris Stynes in 12th inning...and he ripped a 3 run homer to beat Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 @ Cinergy. Trader Jacks 1st place REDS (70-47) were rolling along now! baseball-reference/boxes/CIN/CIN199908170.shtml retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1999/B08170CIN1999.htm reds.enquirer/1999/08/18/red_reds_7_pirates_4.html enquirer/columns/sullivan/1999/08/18/ts_stynes_hit_just_sign.html ==================== REDS 7, PIRATES 4 Stynes hits pinch homer in 12th BY CHRIS HAFT The Cincinnati Enquirer Pokey Reese grabs Chris Stynes in a friendly headlock as Barry Larkin and other teammates congratulate him for his game-winning HR. (Steven M. Herppich photo) Tuesday afternoons session of batting practice was especially frustrating for Chris Stynes, who finally flung his bat into the stands in disgust. “I couldnt even get the ball out of the cage,” he said. Nearly seven hours later, Stynes power improved vastly. The least-used Red belted a three-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, lifting the Reds to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. “He didnt hit that ball. He crushed it,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said. “I was on first base and I was jumping up and down,” said Dmitri Young (left), greeting Stynes. A consensus quickly was reached in Cincinnatis clubhouse: This was the most exciting win of a season that has featured numerous heroics, including 10 consecutive victories against first-place teams, daredevil relief pitching from Danny Graves and Scott Williamson, defensive gems from Pokey Reese and Mike Cameron and offensive thunder from Sean Casey, Greg Vaughn and Barry Larkin, among others. “I was on first base and I was jumping up and down,” said Dmitri Young, whom right-hander Mike Williams (2-3) intentionally walked before yielding Stynes first career pinch-hit home run. “It just proves that this team is everybody,” catcher Eddie Taubensee said. “That was huge, a huge win,” McKeon said. Cincinnati (70-47) retained its .003 lead in the National League Central Division over Houston, an 8-6 winner over Milwaukee. The Reds also improved to 32-30 at Cinergy Field, marking the first time they have been two games above .500 at home since Sept.9, 1997. After moving only one runner into scoring position from the seventh through 11th innings, the Reds began their winning rally against Williams, the fifth Pirates reliever, when Mark Lewis doubled with one out into the left-field corner. Cameron struck out, ending his career-high hitting streak at 14 games. Williams then intentionally walked Young to bring up Stynes, who was batting for winning pitcher Graves (8-6). Stynes was only 1-for-7 this year as a pinch hitter, but he looked more competent than that as he lined Williams first pitch, a high slider, over the left-field barrier. It was his second homer of the year and the Reds fifth longball off the bench. “I just tried to tell myself, dont go up there taking and dont go up there trying to get a perfect pitch,” said Stynes, who was batting .167 before his big hit and .174 with runners in scoring position. “All you need to do is try to hit a single, and thats all we really need to win the game.” Called the teams “safety valve” by McKeon, Stynes rarely budges from the bench, since the manager never knows when hell need an emergency replacement at second base, third base, shortstop or any of the outfield spots — all of which the utilityman can handle. As Stynes walked to the batters box, he had fewer at-bats — 84 — than any position player on the club. “There are 25 or 30 guys in this clubhouse who are pulling for the guy more than anybody,” McKeon said. “Hes had limited playing time, (but) hes always (mentally) in the game more than anybody. Hes a little scrapper. Hes probably the least-used guy, but when Pokey went down, he contributed to a couple of wins. Hes a super guy to have on the ballclub.” Its a group Stynes is happy to join. “Thats a sign of a good team, when its a different guy every night being a key to winning a game,” Stynes said. “Its fun. Were all having a good time here. We dont have any selfish people on the team. Nobodys worried about their stats. They just want to do whatever they can do to win.” Or, as Young said: “Everybodys prepared to do the job at hand. Tonight it was Stynesies time.” ============================= Wednesday, August 18, 1999 Stynes hit just a sign of the times BY TIM SULLIVAN The Cincinnati Enquirer Chris Stynes was Man of the Hour Tuesday night. Chris Stynes? Yeah, right. Inning 12. Tie game. Two on. Two outs. The Cincinnati Reds clinging to first place by .003 percentage points. Jack McKeon scours his dugout for a plausible hero and the best he can do is a guy hitting .167? Chris Stynes? Get real. Get serious. Get out of town. Get used to it. For those seeking definitive proof of the karma/mojo/serendipity surrounding the endlessly surprising home team, heres all you need to know: Chris Stynes came off the bench stone cold Tuesday night — having not played on the whole homestand — and promptly proceeded to rock the house. He lined Mike Williams first pitch into the left-field seats for a three-run homer that brought the Reds a 7-4 victory and another night atop the National League Central. The Big Red Bandwagon is departing from Gate 1. All aboard. “That was awesome,” Dmitri Young said, nearly 20 minutes later. And then he said it again, only louder: “Awesome.” A reserved reserve Across the clubhouse, Stynes sat at his locker, slowly removing his shoes, and more slowly allowing a thin smile to emerge on his face. Once upon a time, he had been a prospect, a comet who captivated Cincinnati by hitting .348 over 198 at-bats at the end of the 1997 season. But that was a long time ago by baseball standards, and now Stynes is clearly a substitute. He plays when Pokey Reese cant, or when someone else needs a day off, but mostly he watches and waits. He came up to bat Tuesday mainly because McKeon was running out of alternatives. The Reds manager had gone through so many players by that point that pitcher Pete Harnisch started stretching at the end of the dugout in the event he was needed to hit or run. “I just tried to tell myself, Dont go up there taking,” Stynes said. “Dont try to get a perfect pitch. All we need is a single to win the game. He threw me a slider that was up a little.” A professional hitter should pulverize such a pitch — a lot of players would be furious to foul it off — but bench players tend to develop timing problems from prolonged inactivity. Stynes was hitting .091 at the All-Star break, and though he has since raised his average, his stroke is susceptible to trouble. He said he had been “especially bad” in batting practice Tuesday afternoon, and was hard-pressed to hit the ball out of the cage. To expect him to perform under 12th-inning pressure, therefore, required a formidable leap of faith. Stynes was asked how long it had been since he had hit a home run to win a game as the last batter. “Probably never,” he said. “But I would have been just as happy with a single. Winning the game is all that matters.” A huge victory His demeanor said that his big hit had been no big deal, but he was probably the wrong one to ask. Stynes carries himself with emotions concealed, even in triumph. To know how much his home run meant, you had to watch the way his teammates danced out of the dugout, leaping into the air and laughing, or listen to their glad voices as they recounted the blow later. “I picked him up,” Young said. “Were in first place in the middle of the pennant race and you cant help but be excited. Everyone knows their job on this team. Chris Stynes went up there to pinch hit and he showed everybody that hes just as much a part of this team as Greg Vaughn or Sean Casey or Barry Larkin.” This was hyperbole, a thrilled teammate trying to be inclusive. Among the Reds rallying cries this season is that they are a team of 25 players and not a collection of stats-hungry individuals. To that end, a heroic performance by a part-time player is seen as proof of a larger power. When that player is Chris Stynes, how can you doubt that its destiny? Enquirer columnist Tim Sullivan welcomes your E-mail at tsullivan@enquirer. ====================== Tuesday, August 17, 1999, 7:05PM, Cinergy Field Attendance: 19,118, Time of Game: 3:50 Umpires: HP - Jeff Nelson, 1B - Hunter Wendelstedt, 2B - Mark Hirschbeck, 3B - Paul Emmel. Field Condition: Unknown. Start Time Weather: 94° F, Wind 10mph out to Centerfield, Night, No Precipitation. Starting Lineups Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati Reds 1 Al Martin LF 1 Mike Cameron CF 2 Adrian Brown RF 2 Michael Tucker RF 3 Brian Giles CF 3 Sean Casey 1B 4 Kevin Young 1B 4 Greg Vaughn LF 5 Ed Sprague 3B 5 Barry Larkin SS 6 Warren Morris 2B 6 Ed Taubensee C 7 Joe Oliver C 7 Aaron Boone 3B 8 Mike Benjamin SS 8 Pokey Reese 2B 9 Jason Schmidt P 9 Ron Villone P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pirates 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 0 Reds 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 7 1 Winning Run scored with 2 outs Cincinnati Reds AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Cameron cf 4 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 Tucker rf 3 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 Williamson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Young ph,1b 1 1 0 0 1 1 3 1 Casey 1b 5 1 1 1 0 1 8 0 Graves p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Stynes ph 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 Vaughn lf 5 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 Larkin ss 2 1 1 1 3 0 2 2 Taubensee c 5 0 0 0 0 2 10 0 Boone 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 White p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hammonds rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Reese 2b 5 0 1 1 0 0 6 4 Villone p 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Morris ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewis 3b 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 Totals 40 7 7 7 6 11 36 13 FIELDING - DP: 2. Larkin-Reese-Casey, Lewis-Reese-Casey. E: Villone (2). BATTING - 2B: Casey (32,off Schmidt); Vaughn (12,off Schmidt); Lewis (14,off Williams). 3B: Larkin (3,off Schmidt). HR: Stynes (2,12th inning off Williams 2 on 2 out). HBP: Cameron (3,by Schmidt); Boone (6,by Schmidt). GDP: Taubensee (7,off Schmidt). IBB: Young (1,by Williams). Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING - SB: Cameron (31,2nd base off Schmidt/Oliver); Boone (11,2nd base off Schmidt/Oliver); Larkin 2 (21,2nd base off Silva/Oliver,3rd base off Silva/Oliver). CS: Reese (6,2nd base by Sauerbeck/Oliver). Cincinnati Reds IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Villone 6 6 4 4 2 4 0 26 White 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 Williamson 3 1 0 0 0 4 0 9 Graves W(8-6) 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 Totals 12 8 4 4 2 10 0 45 White faced 1 batter in the 8th inning HBP: Villone (5,Sprague).
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 07:16:34 +0000
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