There was one sadly overlooked ball player at Yankee Stadium Wednesday after Raul Ibañez’s two homers lifted the Yankees to a 3-2 win in 12 innings over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
Before the game many eyes were on Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez – a rookie at the age of 28 thanks to a career plagued by injury and setbacks.
Gonzalez had the honor of not only becoming the first Mexican to pitch a playoff game at Yankee Stadium but the first Jalisco-born player to pitch a playoff game anywhere.
When it comes to the major leagues, Mexico will take all the heroes it can. No matter that Gonzalez left Tepatitlan at a young age and was brought up in the San Fernando Valley, California.
But Gonzalez’s roots are hardly the big story of an amazing four-month journey.
He spent seven years playing in the minor leagues, including a spell with Mazatlan in the Mexican Pacific League, and suffered a series of dreadful injuries, before signing with the Orioles this spring.
Called up from Triple A at the end of May, he made his first MLB start on July 6, won at Yankee Stadium later in the month, and finished the season 6-2, gaining the confidence of Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who called him “our most consistent pitcher in the run-in.”
On the mound Wednesday, Gonzalez showed why he’s not likely to be a one-season wonder. For seven innings he oozed class and guile, dominating the big Yankee hitters, allowing one run and five hits, and striking out eight – money bags Alex Rodriguez twice. The Orioles led 2-1 into the bottom of the ninth when relief pitcher Jim Johnson was called in.
Few Yankees fans were counting on Ibañez – pinch hitting for the floundering Rodriguez – to produce game winning home runs in the ninth and 12th innings.
Of course, there was only one story the next day: Ibañez’s heroics. However well Gonzalez had pitched, his efforts only warranted a short paragraph.
Guadalajara newspapers were kinder. “Maria … chin!” headlined Cancha, in a clever Spanish-language play on Gonzalez’s love of mariachi and the game-ending deception.
However, the Orioles managed to creep past the Yankees 2-1 in 13 innings in Game 4 after midnight (ET) Thursday, setting up a potentially thrilling final game on Friday for the right to advance to the AL Championship series. Who knows, we may be seeing a lot more of Miguel Gonzalez in the coming days.
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