Dogs Don't Bum Around, Take Game One October 15, 1998
(AP) WASHINGTON, D. C.--Washington proved that they could win at home,
too.
Washington followed up two straight road wins against 103-game winner
Phoenix by defeating Vero Beach 4-3 in Washington.
"This is a great win for us," Johnny Damon, who homered and scored two
runs. "To beat Albie Lopez in this kind of a playoff series...it's a very
fortunate set of events."
Washington got on the board first against Lopez on Damon's
350-foot, second-inning homer. It was only Damon's third homer all year.
"(Lopez) tried to overpower me with a fastball," Damon said, "and I just
got good wood on the ball."
The key inning for the Sea Dogs was the fourth, when Vero Beach suffered
errors by catcher Tom Pagnozzi and All-Star Rex Hudler, the second one
scoring two runs. Washington scored three runs in the inning, all
unearned.
Damon made another huge play in the inning, going from first to third on
Hudler's error, sliding around Bum third baseman Phil Nevin's tag.
"I saw (Hudler)'d missed the ball, and I just kept going," Damon said.
"When I saw that Nevin might have the ball, I just decided to go around
him."
Damon scored on a Ernie Young groundout two pitches later, which proved to
be the winning run even though Vero Beach mounted a comeback, scoring one
in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Ben McDonald, who went six innings and allowed three runs to pick up his
second playoff win, said that it was Vero Beach's miscues that truly
attained the win for the Sea Dogs.
"We got lucky tonight," McDonald said. "Vero Beach might not have
made two errors in a game all year long, and now they made two in an
inning."
Sea Dogs manager Aaron Weiner shared the sentiment.
"C'mon, gentlemen, how often are you going to get a win like this?" Weiner
inquired. "Beating the DL champs pitching the probable Cy Young because
of their own miscues? Besides Johnny Damon, we're lucky we didn't get
shut out tonight."
But McDonald realized that at this stage of the game, a win is a win.
"We're just pleased that we were able to pull out a win tonight," McDonald
said. "It doesn't matter whether you win pretty or ugly, it matters if
you win."
Game 2 is in Washington tomorrow night. Chad Ogea will likely start in
place of Shawn Estes, who is nursing a tight shoulder. Vero Beach will
will probably send Ismael Valdes to the mound.
* * *
Notes and Quotes:
"The fact is, we'll take this kind of win any day. We don't win games on
style points to begin with - we win them by digging in our cleats and
wanting it more."
--Second Baseman Chuck Knoblauch
* * *
Washington has not stolen a base in any of their last three games, all
wins.
"It's kinda weird," shortstop Barry Larkin said, "but we just haven't had
the opportunity to steal much. We win games on running, so we're just
hoping this doesn't continue."
Stranger still was that Vero Beach did not manage a steal against
Washington catcher Ben Petrick.
"I kept expecting them to take off," Petrick said, "and they just never
went."
Because of Vero Beach's reluctance to run, they grounded into three double
plays.
"When they didn't take off, the pressure was off me more than usual,"
McDonald, who gave up 10 baserunners in the six innings, said. "With all
the guys I had on base, it was lucky that we were able to contain them
somewhat."
* * *
Washington's announcement of Chad Ogea as the Game 2 starter came as a
surprise.
"I know that many people believed that with the long layover, we were
going to start Mackenzee (Leefenhaufenhauz)," Weiner said, "but we want to
give him a full four day's rest. And we've got a lot of confidence in
Ogea."
Shawn Estes was the scheduled starter for the game, but his shoulder
refuses to heal.
"Well, gee, if we knew this was going to happen," Weiner said
sarcastically, "We would have put him on the disabled list. He's
tenatively scheduled for Game 4, in Vero Beach."
Estes is disgusted with the situation.
"Well, honestly, I'm really frustrated," Estes said. "For this to be
happening right now is just a complete shame."
Weiner said that Estes will start game 4 whether his shoulder is healed or
not.
"We're figuring that eight days off will be enough for it to heal," Weiner
said, "but we need Shawn in this series. It'll help if we can win
tomorrow to go up 2-0 going to Vero Beach...it'll take a lot of the
pressure off."
