AL notes: Chavez rocket creates buzz at Comiskey
 |
|
||||||||||
He didn't even look. Eric Chavez knew it was a home run. So he reacted as he normally does, trotting around the bases.
But everyone else gasped.
The ball kept going and going, soaring high over the seats in right field and ricocheting off the concourse wall.
"I can't even see that far anymore," Manager Art Howe said.
That ninth-inning, three-run laser - one of several offensive highlights in the A's 16-6 rout of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night - was the longest home run ever hit at the new Comiskey Park, which opened for business April 18, 1991.
The ball traveled an estimated 490 to 500 feet, surpassing the 484-foot homer hit by Chicago's Dan Pasqua on April 27, 1991.
"I didn't even know what happened," Chavez said of his fourth home run of the season, hit on the first pitch from reliever Gary Glover. "I just hit it and knew it was a home run. I came in the dugout and guys were like, `You hit that pretty far.' "
Pretty far?
Not even Mark McGwire has hit a ball that far in this park. Until Chavez's blast, Big Mac had the second-longest homer by a visiting player - 470 feet in July 1996. Cecil Fielder had the longest - 473 feet in May 1998.
"Don't even mention my name in the same sentence as his," 23-year-old Chavez said of McGwire. "It's just one of those balls I'll probably never ever hit again. I guess you just take it and go with it. I don't really know what to say."
The media were saying plenty about Chavez's monster homer, which overshadowed his total performance. He had the first two-homer game of his career and first three-hit game of the season. He also had six RBI.
Anaheim: Outfielder Darin Erstad left early with back spasms Thursday and is day-to-day.
Boston: Three of the Red Sox's seven losses have come in games started by Pedro Martinez. He is 2-0 with three no-decisions.
Cleveland: Right-hander Charles Nagy, trying to come back from elbow surgery, threw in the bullpen yesterday and is expected to start for Class AAA Buffalo on Monday.
Kansas City: DH Dee Brown hit his first major-league homer Thursday and took extra care of the ball. When he got his first hit on Sept. 5, 1999, teammates pulled a fast one on him by switching balls and throwing a fake into the stands.
New York: Roger Clemens presented the jersey he wore on Opening Day to the Hall of Fame. Clemens became the AL strikeout leader that day, breaking Walter Johnson's record. Johnson's grandson, Hank Thomas, received the shirt along with Hall President Dale Petroskey.
Oakland: After scoring 28 runs in their first 10 games, the A's have 76 in their past 12, through Thursday.
Tampa Bay: Fred McGriff hopes to homer in his 38th ballpark this weekend at Detroit's Comerica Park. McGriff and Mark McGwire have homered in the most major-league parks: 37.
Texas: The Rangers traded right-hander Jonathan Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for an undisclosed amount of cash yesterday. Johnson, 26, will be assigned to Class AAA Tucson.