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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > June > 30 > Entry
Still some glory days left
OK, be honest. How many of you Griffey-haters and Griffey-baiters (I know you’re out there in droves) were mumbling something like: “He has to bunt, he has to bunt.”???
Sure you were.
Ninth inning. Reds down, 3-2. David Ross, who had doubled, was on second. Griffey, who took the day off and came into the game as part of a double-switch in the top of the ninth, came to the plate.
Yes, you have a normal guy bunt the tying run to third. Griffey, even at 38 and not close to the player he once was, still has a flare for the dramatics.
The surprising thing was that Pittsburgh manager John Russell didn’t walk him intentionally, but the rule of thumb (fractured or not) is you don’t intentionally put the tying/winning run on base, especially on the road.
So Russell had closer Matt Capps pitch to him. Second pitch. Bang. Game over. It ended a humorous day during which Reds manager Dusty Baker’s 9-year-old son, Darren, told Grifffey he wasn’t playing Monday because he can’t hit left-handers and because he is old.
Maybe Baker should instruct Darren to drop some insults on Ken Griffey Jr. every day, a few Rodney Dangerfields here and there.
If it produces what it did Monday in Great American Ball Park, a game-winning walk-off home run, then why not?
The Cincinnati Reds made it three wins in a row and climbed out of last place in the National League Central (by .001 percentage point) with a 4-3 decision over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The igniter? Griffey. The ignitee? Little Baker, or as Griffey called him with a smile, “Half-Baked.”
Griffey didn’t start the game, getting a day of rest, but came in to right field in the top of the ninth as part of a double switch.
Before the game, Griffey kiddingly asked Darren why he wasn’t playing and Darren said, “Because you can’t hit left-handers.”
Griffey told him he hit 21 homers off left-handers in 1996 and Darren said, “It’s not 1996 and you’re old. About 50.”
After hitting his 10th homer this season and the 603rd of his career, Griffey said he is going to start calling Darren, “Baker-and-a-half.”
Before the game, Adam Dunn asked Griffey why he wasn’t playing and Griffey said, “GSP, a good, solid benching. I figure it worked out for you, so they’re just giving me a jump start.”
Griffey, though, made it clear he prefers to play nine innings and shake hands, not less than an inning and shake hands.
“I don’t like those (days off), but it’s OK. Well, no it’s not,” he said. “You want to be out there all the time. So you just try to contribute when you’re in there.”
Before that, it was familiar territory for starter Aaron Harang. He pitched seven innings and gave up three runs, but his so-called friends could only score two for him.
“Harang threw a pitch low-and-in for Adam Roche (who hit a home run) and he likes the ball low-and-in,” said Baker. “We wanted to get Aaron the victory, but we got the victory and we’ll get one for him next time.”
Pittsburgh scored first after a leadoff double in the second inning by Ryan Doumit and he scored on Adam LaRoche’s sacrifice fly.
The Reds tied it, 1-1, in the third on Jerry Hairston Jr.’s second home run, a drive into the left field seats.
LaRoche struck bigger and better in the sixth when he followed Xavier Nady’s double with his eighth home run, a blast over the right field wall to make it 3-2.
The Reds had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth, but scored only one. Jay Bruce’s grounder to first scored a run, but David Ross struck out, leaving the Reds in arrears, 3-2.
Putting the first two on base in an inning didn’t do the Reds much good, except raise the frustration level.
The first two reached in the first inning against starter Paul Maholm, but nothing came of it because Brandon Phillips popped up and Joey Votto grounded out.
The first two reached in the eighth against relief pitcher Damaso Marte, but Votto missed on two horrible bunt attempts and struck out, Edwin Encarnacion struck out and pinch-hitter Javier Valentin grounded out.
Then it was time for The Old Man Like LaRoche, he likes the ball low-and-in, too, and that’s where Capps put the fastball that Griffey dispatched with alacrity.
“You know what Bill Cosby said, ‘Kids say the darndest things,’ ” said Griffey. Wasn’t that Art Linkletter?
“That was a tremendous at-bat by Ross before the home run, falling behind 0-and-2 before working the count to 2-and-2 and then doubling. “We haven’t had one of these in a long time and I’m extremely happy for Junior,” said Baker (the father/manager, not the son).
“We left guys on in the first, the sixth and the eighth, but we won in the ninth and that’s all that matters,” Baker added.
And here are Griffey’s career game-winning walk-off home runs:
—Monday, Pittsburgh (Matt Capps), ninth inning.
—May 11, 2006, Washington (Joey Eischen), 11th inning.
—August 8, 2002, Los Angeles (Omar Daal), 13th inning.
—August 20, 2001, St. Louis (Andy Benes), 11th inning.
—August 24, 1998, New York Yankees (John Wetteland), ninth inning.
Permalink | Comments (41) | Post your comment | Categories: Ken Griffey Jr.
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By Bob
July 2, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this
CINCY FAN, you are on the money regarding Jr. He has and still is the tail wagging the dog. A three hole hitter I dream about is Josh Hamilton with 80 RBIs. He has affected more games than 10. I read TX web sites more than the Reds’ and he has the Rangers 4 games above .500. The Reds had to let him go because Jr., Phillips etal were jealous of his great story. Oh, well.The same cast of characters guarantee the same results. You can’t overcome the dead weight of Jr. and Dunn. If Jr. leaves I’m sure George Grande will follow. I hardly ever listen to TV sound but I accidently heard it the next day and I thought George was announcing the greatest event in human history. He almost stroked over Jr.’s homer.
By Wizard
July 2, 2008 1:09 AM | Link to this
“If you practice seriously…” Or, if, in fact, you practice at all? Dusty said tonight in pre-game: “We work on that everyday…” Yeah, right!
By Wizard
July 2, 2008 12:51 AM | Link to this
Yes, all major leaguers should be able to bunt—but, They ALL cannot do it acceptably!{In my opinion—if they cannot bunt, the manager did not spend enough time on it in Florida; or they simply cannot do it.Do we ask Dunn to steal bases like we do Hairston? Well, if he’s a major league player, based on your previous assumption…}Dunn does not have the same skill level. All of them should be able to slide well—but, they ALL cannot slide well! All major league players should have great throwing arms, and should show them off consistently—but some don’t have this ability! When discussing skills that should be able to be performed at this level, bunting is not the only skill that is lacking. My point is:If the skill is not there; and it isn’t being taught, why use something that will fail, until it is being taught? That is the reason for blaming the manager—He obviously has not taught it to Encarnacion and Votto! Be assured there are others. Yes, everyone SHOULD be able to bunt; but in todays baseball there are too many teams, with too little talent, especially in the area of fundamentals!You can’t convince me that they are spending enough time teaching bunting, or sliding—it’s a wonder many ankles aren’t broken when beginning slides too late, is evident.Some can do it—many cannot—because they don’t practice it! Who is in charge of PRACTICE?
By cincyfan
July 1, 2008 6:38 PM | Link to this
You are a great writer. I appreciate all you do for the game of baseball. Griffey used to be a great player. Nobody hates Griffey, but facts are facts. He is either the worst #3 hitter in baseball or the most overpaid 7 hole hitter….or both. His productivity and every surrogate sabermetric measure confirm that. As a small market team, the Reds simply have no capacity to “miss” on payroll and budget on a player making 13 mil who grossly underperforms. I dont hate him. He was a great asset to the game. Unfortunatley, in 2008,and any other years here, he is a liability to his team and organization. I challenge anyone to disagree.
By Stuttgart Tim
July 1, 2008 6:22 PM | Link to this
Rick, Uh, I think I said just that.
By Stuttgart Tim
July 1, 2008 6:21 PM | Link to this
Rick, Which part of my response was unclear?
By Mike-Cinci
July 1, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Mr. Baseball said it all on the bunting strategy. He is 100% right. Blaming managers for the failure of a player to execute is crazy. All players should be able to bunt. I like Hairston/Keppinger at the top of the line-up. The Reds need to play Encarnacion. He is only 25 and the only right handed power on the team. The only option is to move Griffey to a team he approves. The Reds should pay his salary for the rest of the season if needed to make it happen. It will be a classy way for Junior to move on. It will give the Reds a chance to see if Hairston, Keppinger, Bruce, Encarnacion can play over an extnde period.
By AP-FLORIDA
July 1, 2008 3:59 PM | Link to this
THE ONLY REASON BAKER DID NOT BUNT GRIFFEY IS BECAUSE IT WAS GRIFFEY…..BAKER GOT LUCKY
By Mr. Baseball
July 1, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
To bunt or not to bunt, that is the question. The situations last night with Votto and Griffey provide a textbook example of when to and when not to bunt. First, let’s get one thing straight. Every major league player should be able to bunt for a sacrifice. Yes, there are some nuances as to what the pitcher is doing to counter the bunt, etc. But bunting is one of the easiest skills to perfect through practice, if you practice seriously. Second, whether a particular player bunts or not does not depend so much on who that batter is, but more on the game situation. Let’s take the Votto situation last night. Eighth inning, Reds are playing at home, Reds are one run down, runners on first and second and no outs. Almost regardless of who’s batting, the bunt is ON. Why? Because if successful, it moves the tying AND winning runs into scoring position. Also, one of the bad things that can happen if you swing away is a double play which virtually kills the inning. If the situation is the same with one out, no bunt; but with no outs, BUNT! The only exception to this is if you have a very weak hitter (like a pitcher) coming up next and nobody to pinch hit for him. The problem last night is that Votto demonstrated he is not a very good bunter. Is Dusty at fault for asking him to bunt? In my book, no. Dusty is an old-school manager who believes players should come up to the majors with these skills. He’s right! Maybe he’s finding out that these fundamentals are not taught in the Reds organization. (We find out later that Votto had only been asked to bunt once in the minor leagues!) In any event, if Votto is the character guy that we all know he is, he’ll come out early and ask for extra BP just to practice bunting. Now let’s turn to Griffey’s situation in the ninth which is similar to Votto with one clear exception. Ninth inning, Reds are at home and are one run down, runner on second, no outs. Here, because there is no runner on first, the risk of the double play is not as great as it was during Votto’s at bat. Swinging away and pulling the ball to the right side accomplishes the same as a bunt — it moves the runner to third. But the residual effect of swinging away is that something better might happen. Like a single, a double, or a home run! So, he’s swinging away, not so much because it’s Griffey, but because of the situation. So let’s put it this way, if Griffey would have come up in Votto’s place in the eighth, Mr. Baseball asks Griffey to bunt. If Votto comes up in Griffey’s situation in the ninth, he’s swinging away. It’s called SITUATIONAL BASEBALL. In this case, Dusty pushed the right buttons in both cases. The execution was not there for Votto, but was for Griffey. One more thing, one of the ways in which leaders lead is by doing the little things right and scarificing for the greater good of the team. One of the best things that could have happened for this team would be to have Griffey come up in Votto’s situation — eighth inning, no outs, one run down, with runners on first and second — and lay down a sacrifice bunt and let the hitter behind him drive him in. That would be the kind of leadership that people would like to see Griffey show once in awhile.
By Mike
July 1, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this
What’s incredible here.. the blame falls on 2 people..Baker & hitting coach Brooks Jacoby. The bunt comes under Jacoby’s exact responsibility to be sure players know how to execute it. It’s obvious, some do it better than others. Those with less skill ( Votto and others ) should have spent time with Jacoby. The bunt is a weapon, a tool when used properly is beautiful. Every player should be able to do it when called upon, especially pitchers. Mandatory time spent during batting practice or even special instruction would spare players like Votto and the Reds organization the embarassment of being inept. It’s called fundamentals. I think I would want my millionaires to be able to play the game the way it should be played. A Bunt is like a spare tire..when you need it ..it gotta be there!
By Jack
July 1, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
Steve, get and understand your points, but I do think with certain pitchers it is far better to get your licks when the pitches are straight. Would you rather have Dunn (and Edwin, and Phillips, and just about anyone on this team) swinging at a 0-0 strike or be swinging on 0-2 count. Given the record of the Reds, its obvious that we like “professional” hitters, save for someone like Kepp, maybe Hairston. It should be the job of the firts two hitters to see some piches, after that I would rather the big boys swing at the first pitch that looks good…….just my two cents.
By Steve F
July 1, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this
During BP a player must bunt a couple before swinging for the fences. That is 162 games a year. It would seem with all that practice you can do it in a game at least once.
By Steve
July 1, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
Jack- Very true. But how are you going to know what that pitcher is throwing, or his habits, if you swing early and often. Advanced scouting isn’t the same as being at the plate against the guy, I’m guessing. Maholm is no Steve Carlton. Make him work. Get him tired. Open the window to him making a mistake. The kid barely broke a sweat for crying out loud. Harang was throwing strikes. 8 K’s I beleive. The Pirates worked him pretty good. If our guys can’t hit when down in the count, we are in bigger trouble than I thought. I would rather see a 1-2 pitch go straight up in the air than a 0-0. But I am no baseball guru, so what do I know other than the other teams pitch gets a ton of rest when the Reds are in town.
By coach
July 1, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
You don’t ask Your best full count hitter to bunt!You don’t ask anyone to bunt in a crucial situation—who has not been taught to bunt!You have to know your players best abilities—if you want to win! Dusty Baker made a bad decision with Joey Votto!!!!!
By AP-FLORIDA
July 1, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this
sounds as though most of you still have your heads in the sand..we are not going anywhere(at least up/can’t go down much either
By Dave in Columbus
July 1, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
Junior was right: Bill Cosby did host a show called “Kids say the Darndest Things” between 1998 and 2000. It was based on the earlier show that us old people (50) remember with Art Linkletter.
By Jack
July 1, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this
Steve. Some pitchers you want to attack early and there is no need to see pitches. If the guy is throwing strikes, why would you want to fall behind in the count? Walk-off. Simply, the home team ends of the game prior to the last out. With Votto I see it both ways. As a major leaguer you should know how to bunt, but if you do not know how to bunt and/or do not do it well, why order the bunt? Griffey. There are certain players in the game who will never be asked to bunt in that situation, if you dont get that, there is not much hope for some of you. For those who say Griffey shouldnt be one of those players anymore…well he proved you wrong.
By rick
July 1, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
A walk off hit is any hit that allows the team to leave the field (read game over) after the winning run scores - simple! Do we have a bunch of accountants asking these questions?
By Drew S.
July 1, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
thank you for being you are the Reds going to move Dunn and Griffey.
By Stuttgart Tim
July 1, 2008 11:24 AM | Link to this
Confused, Jr. did not drive in the winning run(himself) until he crossed the plate. ANY time a HR wins a game, the batter must cross the plate. Then the Reds “walk off” before the otherwise normal (three outs)conclusion of the inning and game. At least that’s my take on it. While the term is usually only used with a HR, I guess you could say a walk off single, and I guess even a “walk off walk” if the bases were loaded in a tie game. Hmm. Now I’m confused.
By Y-City Jim
July 1, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
I just looked at the play-by-play from last night’s game. The Reds had scoring opportunities in four different innings. They scored in two of those four innings. Hairston hit the solo shot in a inning different from the other four. If the Reds could continue to score 50% of the innings when they have RISP then I would be happy. The key is to continue to set up scoring opportunities like they did last night.
By Reds Fan
July 1, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this
Just food for thought. Cueto is pitching Thurs night and Arroyo scheduled for the day game on the 4th. Why not flip flop them? Arroyo hates pitching during the day and likes pitching on short rest. The Reds will probably be their usual selves on holiday day games a stinker. I hope last night’s momentum carries over like to at least win series vs Pirates and put the axe to the grind against old leatherpants team. With Cubs and Brewers on horizon a great homestand is needed.
By HuberTucky
July 1, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this
Let’s hope with Kepp and Hair and EE back and Patterson NOT starting and batting lead-off, plus the young guys pitching better that the post-All Star Game glory days are ahead and the Deads Gory Days are behind us. That said, the game last night was still troubling in that they missed so many scoring opportunities, early and often, and did NOT get clutch hits. It was just literally a stroke of luck that Reds won…a storybook ending, as they say.
By Y-City Jim
July 1, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this
I’m more disappointed that the Reds didn’t hit Maholm harder. They got the usual quota of walks off of him but not hits. Maholm usually gives up a lot of hits.
By Reds Fan
July 1, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
Fundamental baseball!! All I have to say. I can’t believe 2 things: Maholm threw 89pitches and Votto doesn’t get bunt down. Jacoby has to go. We need somebody really hands on to teach Votto, Bruce, EE etc before they become Dunn and Griffey. After the weekend with Griffey hitting 2 to the track last night wasn’t a surprise but very welcomed. Wish he wasn’t going to NYC for the ASG. Giving Griffey these days off might be benefical. Anyone who thinks that another team would take Dunn, JR, Arroyo are crazy. I think we are stuck with them. With Edinson going tonight hope he gets the groove back. IF and a big IF but take 1 game at a time. Look at the Tigers now. Never know with the REDS!!
By Steve
July 1, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
Hal- No mention of all the first pitch swings. Their starter pitched less than 90 tosses. Who is responsible for having batters work the count? Jacoby? They are awful. Dusty says we make all pitchers look like Cy. Why not find out why that is and change it? How many first pitch pop-ups and worm burners to short do we need to see before something is done about it? Are the batters running the show? I thought coaches got paid to coach. If a player is not working the count, they should have a good talking to. If it continues, a benching is in order. Small ball my butt.
By Rob
July 1, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
I imagine the term “walk-off” has more to do with the opposing team walking off the field than the batter.
By Cait
July 1, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
Tom, it is Pittsburgh - significant because the Reds stink against losing teams this year. They’ve played well against teams over .500. So yea, it’s a big win. And no, I don’t have Griffey bunt. He almost always hits to the right side, so even a normal ground ball would have advanced the runner, same as a bunt, and this way he gets a shot at a hit or HR.
By Doco
July 1, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
Yeah, Votto has to take the fall here. I compare bunting to free throw shooting. If you can’t do it, you don’t belong in the bigs. But 450 ft homers and a 45 inch vertical make coaches overlook fundamentals. And George Grand is driving me nuts with this “Harriston” crud. Hairs-ton, hairs-ton, hairs-ton. Practice George, practice!!
By confused
July 1, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
Someone please explain “walk off” for me. My thinking is the batter would be able to simply “walk off” the field after driving in the winning run. In last night’s game, Griffey had to touch the bases to score the winning run, thus negating the term “walk off”. Please correct me.
By Barry
July 1, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
You guys are missing the point with Votto. He’s a rookie on a last place team. If his manager asks/tells him to bunt, he should stand on the plate and get the bunt down!! Don’t blame Dusty on this one. One of the players should have chewed his butt after that effort!
By Michael
July 1, 2008 8:26 AM | Link to this
The problem with Votto bunting wasn’t that Dusty asked Votto to bunt, it was that Votto obviously has no clue how to bunt. You square away, bend your knees and … well, all that would require some practice. Novel concept, huh?
By Charles Wolf
July 1, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
Griffey needs to keep coming off the bench if he truly wants to help the Reds. Bruce needs a rest and needs to shorten up his stroke again, like it was when he first came up. He’s swinging for the fences with a long stroke now. Keeping Patterson as a pinch runner and for defense later in the game is also a good move. Half-Baked could start Dunn, Hopper, and Hairston and pep up the line-up.
By AP-FLORIDA
July 1, 2008 7:55 AM | Link to this
tom-it is PITTSBURGH. hal-griffey was the winning run not tying run. looks like half baked is the guy we want managing…you have to bunt in that situation(tying run on 2nd no outs ninth inning)also looks like griffey plays better when he is mad,so let’s keep him mad. love the win, hate the managing
By tom
July 1, 2008 7:36 AM | Link to this
Don’t get your hopes up folks, this was the Pittsburg Pirates!
By michael
July 1, 2008 7:25 AM | Link to this
I don’t think you can actually be a Griffey- Hater, but rather a realist who understands that Griffey has seen his better days and that this loyalty usually hurts our team. It was good to see him finally do something to help the team win.
By michael
July 1, 2008 7:25 AM | Link to this
I don’t think you can actually be a Griffey- Hater, but rather a realist who understands that Griffey has seen his better days and that this loyalty usually hurts our team. It was good to see him finally do something to help the team win.
By coach
July 1, 2008 12:30 AM | Link to this
Terrible idea. He effectively took the bat right out of Votto’s hands, in asking him to bunt. I love Votto—but damn was that terrible technique! The bat is supposed to be out in front of the bunter—so he can see the ball meet the wood. His bat was not—it was practically behind him! When they move to Arizona, I hope they decide to work on fundamentals, as in proper sliding/baserunning/bunting and so much more.Glad they won—but, damn!
By Pat
July 1, 2008 12:28 AM | Link to this
I don’t ever think I’ll think of bunt and Griffey at the same time. That’s just scary. Almost as scary as Votto bunting.
By coach
July 1, 2008 12:16 AM | Link to this
To be honest, I wasn’t even thinking about Griffey. I was still pissed at Rusty having his best, of the big guns {Votto}bunting!Damn. How stupid—regardless of the situation, the man had to know Votto could not bunt—only one attempt EVER in his pro career!What DID Rusty do in spring training? Any chance he EVER asked Votto to show him his bunting technique—before they went north? Don’t you have to have an idea before you ask someone to bunt—if they, in fact, CAN bunt?
By Y-City Jim
June 30, 2008 11:30 PM | Link to this
Will Dunn play tomorrow since Duke is really the LHer he hits well rather than Maholm? Sure would love to see the Reds go into Chicago a week from tomorrow with a 45-45 record. Better yet, leave Milwaukee on July 13th at 51-45. Ride the wave of momentum.