Aug 10 2006
Roy Oswalt, Power Hitter
I simply can’t pass this one up. Roy Oswalt, ace pitcher of the Houston Astros, has added a new tool to his bag of tricks, a home run bat.
For the first time in his professional career, Oswalt drove a ball out of the park. It was an eye-high fastball without a lot of fast and Oswalt yanked it to left, into the Crawford Boxes. As Oswalt rounded the bases, he thought of his father:
“I thought about my dad, because he usually gives me grief that I should hit the ball out of the park,” Oswalt said. “I think he finally realized how hard it is. I’ve let him get in the batting cage before and turned the batting machine up 90-something miles per hour to let him see firsthand how hard it is to square it up.
“When my dad played softball, he liked the ball up above the zone, where he could kind of swing up at the ball — I guess like tomahawking the ball. That’s the way he hit, and I feel comfortable swinging at balls that high.”
He rounded the bases, stepped on home, got a high-five from Adam Everett, then headed into a silent dugout. The Astro players gave Oswalt the “ho-hum” treatment as he walked from one side of the dugout to the other. Of course, it didn’t last long. Everyone shared warm congratulations with Oswalt then forced him up for a curtain-call.
Taking a cue from Oswalt, the Astros unloaded the lumber and won 14-1. It was one of those nights that remind you what is right with pro sports; the unlikely can happen, even to the good guys.
Also blogging:
- Monumental day for Oswalt family
- Dominance appreciated.
- No playoffs for the Houston Astros!
- The Bad News Bucs
- Pirates Walking the Plank
August 14th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
It reminds me of the old knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, who hit a home run in his first major league at-bat and then played for 21 years and never hit another. (He also had 21 RBIs in his career, an average of 1 per season, and this before the DH rule.)You have to enjoy it while you can.