Hoffman exits empty-handed Hoffman
PITTSBURGH -- On Monday, Trevor Hoffman made the following comment: ``I'd like to be the one to close it for the National League. If it comes down to the ninth inning, I sure hope it's me."
The ninth inning came . . . and unfortunately it went haywire for one of the best closers in major league history.
You see, in four other All-Star appearances, Hoffman had never been in position to seal the game for the NL. Most of his teammates wanted this moment for him, including catcher Brian McCann, who said his All-Star dream would be ``catching for Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning."
Hoffman, 38, had the opportunity to win it for the National League for the first time since 1996, but he dissolved after retiring the first two American League hitters in the ninth, and the NL was in the same place it always seems to be in -- on a the short end of a 3-2 loss to the AL.
The demise began when White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko singled, and Troy Glaus doubled to left field, a ground-rule double that saved the NL a run. And even then, this is Trevor Hoffman, author of 460 saves, 18 short of Lee Smith's all-time record, and if anyone will stem the tide it will be him. Texas shortstop Michael Young had different ideas.
Young got an 86-mile-per-hour fastball from Hoffman, not his signature changeup, and launched it into the right-center gap, scoring the tying and go-ahead runs.
Hoffman's opportunity became Mariano Rivera's chance to save another All-Star Game for the AL, and when Carlos Lee popped to second, he had done what Hoffman had hoped for years to do.
``You have to give credit to the guys for getting it started," said the Padres closer. ``Mike [Young] saw us not too long ago in interleague play. But you got to get it done and Mike got it done. They got two guys on, but that didn't complicate things really. I just knew I had to go out get that third out and I didn't get it done."
It was surprising Hoffman didn't stick with his changeup.
By Hoffman's admission, his fastball isn't what it used to be, but after he threw a fastball, then a changeup, to get up 0 and 2 to Young, McCann noticed Young was inching up in the box in preparation to hit the change. But here's where McCann and Hoffman thought too much. They decided to go back to the fastball with the hope of sneaking it past Young and it didn't work.
``Brian thought he might have been moving up in the box and looking for a changeup, and just giving something for Michael to contemplate," Hoffman said. ``Maybe I should have gone with my bread and butter. An 86-m.p.h. heater isn't going to scare too many people sometimes. Shoulda, coulda, woulda . . . In that situation you just can't leave it over that much of the plate. I was in agreement with the call. Maybe we should have gone eight changeups in a row."
The way the game was moving it was leaning toward a ninth-inning save for Hoffman.
He was able to prepare normally. He said he felt loose, stretched out, ready to go. He said he was honored that NL manager Phil Garner tabbed him to close it. He didn't want to let anyone down.
``I feel badly for him because I know how much he wanted it," said Phillies closer Tom Gordon. ``We wanted to win this game so badly. It's disappointing because I know Trevor had waited a long time for this chance."
No reason to think it wasn't heading for a happy ending.
``It seemed pretty quick," Hoffman said. ``Quick when they got the two outs and pretty fast when they got the two runs. I don't feel like I pitched badly. I'm happy with my performance, but they got the hits when they needed them. It's not fun to have to stand here and answer questions about it, but it's part of it. It was good to be able to get ahead on the count to a batter like that. That's why he won a batting title in the American League."
``Two quick outs. I couldn't have scripted it any better," said Garner. ``We had the lead. You're going to turn it over to Trevor Hoffman, who has been golden over the years."
Hoffman threw 13 pitches, all for strikes. He actually tied an All-Star record with three assists by a pitcher in the ninth inning.
He's never believed in short-changing himself by putting batters on base. If you beat him, you beat him fair and square, and that's what Konerko, Glaus, and Young did.
``It's part of the territory," Hoffman said. ``I'm proud of the fact I didn't beat myself. That elusive 27th out is pretty big sometimes. We're all professionals; they all understand the situation. We have 50,000 people in the stadium, about 300 million watching on TV. There's really not much that can be said.
``I'm not going to beat myself up over the fact that maybe I should have gone to a different pitch. When you're ahead you can get somebody to fish . . . but it is what it is."
Hoffman thought he witnessed a well-played, well-pitched All-Star Game.
``We showed that maybe it wasn't as lopsided as people think," he said.
As much as he wanted it, as disappointed as he was at this moment as he stood with an icepack around his right arm, he knew his dream had gone by the boards. He might never get the chance again.
``You're never going to forget these things," Hoffman said. ``The type of stage that we're playing on. But at the same time, I'm not defined by these moments either. Sometimes you have to pick yourself off the mat and dust yourself off. You got two options -- like Alan Trammell told us -- you can go home or come back and play. I'll put the uniform back on Friday."
