|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
OP
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Quote:
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- It was vintage Trevor Hoffman, from the AC/DC blaring from the stadium speakers to a final, nasty changeup dropping toward the dirt and eluding the swing of a helpless batter.
Hoffman never veers from his routines or his signature pitch, and on Saturday night he tied Lee Smith's career saves record with No. 478, helping the NL West-leading San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 to build a 1½-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As he has for weeks, Hoffman said the Padres' playoff push is more important that his record pursuit.
"I know I'll be more relieved when we clinch a playoff spot," Hoffman said after pitching a perfect ninth for his NL-best 42nd save in 47 chances. "And I truly mean that. I'm not trying to deflect the attention from what's going on, and there's a lot of pressure involved in a pennant drive and preserving wins, let alone what it means to a major league record."
The 38-year-old closer has never been comfortable talking about himself, so it's been easier on him with the Padres trying to make consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in club history.
"It could be extremely lonely, in a sense, to go through this process with a team that wouldn't be in it and have all the attention on something that's very individualized," he said.
Jake Peavy struck out 11 to match the team record for double-digit strikeout games, and rookie Josh Barfield hit a go-ahead homer leading off the seventh.
With the sellout crowd of 43,168 on its feet, Hoffman jogged in from the bullpen, staring at the ground the whole way, with AC/DC's "Hells Bells" blaring, as it has for each of his home save opportunities since July 25, 1998.
Former teammate Xavier Nady flied out to center, Ronny Paulino grounded out and Hoffman tied Smith's record when he struck out Ryan Doumit struck on his signature pitch, a changeup.
"It was nasty," catcher Rob Bowen said. "It looked like it stopped, then started again after he swung. It just dropped off the table."
Said Hoffman: "I'll get an out any way I can, as long as they don't put it in play and score a run."
The 38-year-old Hoffman has three saves in five games following his blown save in Monday night's wild, 11-10 loss in 10 innings at Los Angeles.
Smith piled up 478 saves from 1980-1997.
All but two of Hoffman's saves have come with San Diego, which obtained him from Florida on June 24, 1993, in a five-player deal that sent Gary Sheffield to the Marlins.
"I feel sorry for teams who don't have what we have," Peavy said about Hoffman.
"It's special," said Bruce Bochy, San Diego's manager since 1995. "We're seeing history. I can't say enough about what he's done for our ballclub, our organization. He's a guy I've been fortunate to have as my closer since I've been manager."
Pittsburgh's Jim Tracy was Hoffman's manager in the minor leagues when he was converted from infielder to reliever.
"It suggests consistency, it suggests resiliency," Tracy said. "That's how you get to the point where he's at."
Tracy was manager of the rival Dodgers the last five seasons.
"I learned to hate the song 'Hells Bells," Tracy said. "I only listen to it when I'm in San Diego."
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
OP
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
I'm a little surprised this hasn't gotten more coverage nationally, though I'm sure it's getting plenty of pub on the West Coast. I think this is a pretty amazing story. As mentioned in an ESPN the magazine article earlier this month, Hoffman got his start as a shorstop, didn't know how to pitch before the '91 season, and started throwing his changeup, which would be the pitch that changed his career, purely as a way to make it through the '95 season without having to have surgery on his torn rotator cuff. More than a decade later, he's still dominating hitters(with a fastball most would sneer at), and he's closing in on 500 saves.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
OP
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Hoffman now has the record.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
