#2 Hrbek Hits Grand Slam in Game 6
For the longest time, I thought that Hrbek won game six for the Twins. As it turns out, the REALLY big hit came from Don Baylor the inning before, and the game-winning RBI went to Steve Lombardozzi. But one could argue that Hrbek guaranteed the victory.
Dan Gladden’s grand slam in game one was improbable, but what happened in the sixth inning here was nigh impossible. With one out and the bases loaded, Bob Forsch got Brunansky to pop out. Up next was Hrbek, so Whitey Herzog very correctly called in Ken Dayley to face him. Here were their respective splits that season:
Hrbek versus lefties: 225/290/370, 6 homers in 138 at bats.
Dayley versus lefties: 247/337/301, 0 homers in 73 at bats.
The last time Dayley had given up a homer to a lefty was October, 1985 to Darryl Strawberry. Hell, Dayley had only given up three PERIOD since that homer to Strawberry. He was way more likely to throw Hrbek four straight balls. Hrbek had been pretty brutal all postseason long, especially against lefties.
McGee Goes Back!
Man, I got shivers again.
#15 Hicks Shows Off His Cannon
So he misplayed the bounce a little bit, but I love how nonchalant he is, like it's a forgone conclusion Wells was going to be out.
The Better Moment
- Hrbek Grand Slam (89%, 16 Votes)
- Hicks Cannon (11%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 18
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- Brad Radke Wins #20 (74%, 14 Votes)
- Jack Morris Escapes Jam in 5th Inning (26%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 19
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- 3-2-3 Double Play (79%, 15 Votes)
- Winfield's 3000th hit (21%, 4 Votes)
Total Voters: 19
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- Hrbek Tags Out Gant (77%, 17 Votes)
- Bobby Korecky: First Hit, First Win (23%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 22
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- Eric Milton No-Hitter (55%, 12 Votes)
- Juan Berenguer Saves ALCS Game 2 (45%, 10 Votes)
Total Voters: 22
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- Pedro Munoz Walks Off in 22nd Inning (65%, 13 Votes)
- Twins Win 15 In A Row (35%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 20
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- Larkin Walks It Off (96%, 23 Votes)
- Mike Sweeney Pops Into Infield Fly Double Play, Gets Nailed by Dougie (4%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 24
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I think that's Michaels in the Hrbek clip, right? Good of him to let the crowd tell the story there.
Recency bias, but I remember that Marwin gun down also being pretty amazing for the camera angle alone.
Marwin?
Well, it was in Yankee Stadium, so there's a
needexpectation for 1.7 x 108 cameras for all angles possible.Yep, it's Michaels
Context.
The Hrbek grand slam might be my #1 most memorable Twins moment.
But is it the best moment?
I answer that now, have I ruined the whole exercise?
I found myself sitting next to the Wild's former assistant GM during the 18-inning game against Boston. During our many, many innings of chatting, he mentioned that he's somehow become friends with Ken Dayley, and that he will surreptitiously sneak a reference to this at bat to him every couple of years to get a rise out of him.
(Also, this is how out conversation started around the third inning:
Oh, for a bit I thought you were talking about Bill Dailey
I’m always surprised that the batboy’s arm was still attached after Hrbek’s high five.
And I'm surprised Hrbek didn't break his ankle when he stomped on home plate
I remember the Herbie slam like it was yesterday. A friend and I were in Madison for the afternoon making arrangements to go to Badger football game later in the year. I had lost a little faith in the team after 3 straight losses, but I made him stop at a bar so we could watch the game and I remember telling him that they had to pinch hit for Hrbek in that situation.