Bottoms up for Bellhorn
NEW YORK -- After being dropped from his usual second spot in the batting order all the way down to ninth, it would be easy to say Mark Bellhorn's game had bottomed out.
But after delivering the biggest hit in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series last night -- a three-run homer in the fourth inning of Boston's 4-2 victory -- Bellhorn was on top of the world.
Bellhorn entered last night's game hitting a paltry .150 in the series, and more than a few members of the media and the fandom were wondering why he was in the lineup instead of slick-fielding Pokey Reese. But Terry Francona stuck with the quiet second baseman in hopes Bellhorn would respond to the manager's show of confidence.
In recent days, Francona found himself defending Bellhorn, at one point saying he obviously thought more of Bellhorn than did the media. And after Bellhorn hit into a bases-loaded, inning-ending double-play in the second, the doubters seemed to have more evidence.
Until the fourth inning, that is, when Bellhorn delivered the hit the Nation had been waiting for. With the count 1-and-2, Jason Varitek on second and Orlando Cabrera on first, and one run already in, Bellhorn, batting lefthanded, planted a low fastball from Yankees starter Jon Lieber just over the left-field fence.
Then, the dispute. The ball struck a 12-year-old girl with a dark-colored sweatshirt in the midsection and bounced back onto the field, causing temporary confusion for left field umpire Jim Joyce, who initially ruled the ball had hit the top of the wall. Francona darted out of the dugout to argue the call, and Bellhorn was standing on second with a double when the six umpires reached a different, and correct, decision: home run.
Bellhorn had not been an effective hitter with runners in scoring position and two outs, batting .226 during the regular season. He was an effective hitter when putting the ball in the air, succeeding at a .467 clip. With two runners on, Bellhorn had to make certain he wasn't going to hit the ball on the ground again.
"I wanted to get it up in the air," he said. "You want to come through in that situation because these guys just battle so hard."
Bellhorn said he wasn't sure at first if the ball had cleared the fence. "When I hit it, it was slicing," he said. "I thought the ball was still in the park because I didn't think I hit it that well."
After the game, first base umpire Randy Marsh explained what happened to change the initial call.
"Umpire Joyce had the call down the line," Marsh said. "The ball comes down and you're trying to get the best angle possible. In this day and age we try everything we can to get the play correct. We got together. Every other umpire thought the ball was over the wall. Years ago, that process wasn't used all the time. It's better for the game. Better for umpiring."
Bellhorn said his teammates helped him avoid getting too down during his recent struggles. Curt Schilling praised Bellhorn in his postgame remarks, noting that the media wanted Bellhorn benched and instead "he won a game for us."
Johnny Damon, who has struggled at the plate himself this series, said the team wasn't worried about Bellhorn. "He had had some really good at-bats prior to the home run," Damon said.
"It's a home run that we'll all remember," Damon added. "It's Game 6 of the ALCS, we've come back from a 3-0 deficit, and the guy who wins the game offensively for us is Mark with a three-run homer. That's something he's going to be able to tell his kids about."
Bellhorn knows the historical significance of his feat will be enhanced if the Red Sox win tonight. In the meantime, he's enjoying the ride. Whether he's batting second or ninth, Bellhorn says the important thing is that he's playing for a team that might go to the World Series.
And about that Game 7?
"It's going to be an exciting game," Bellhorn said. "It's pretty awesome to be part of this. Pretty awesome."
