Hello, Friends! by Jerry Howarth

Author:Jerry Howarth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2019-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

Joe Carter

Another Blue Jays great who comes back to Toronto on a yearly basis is Joe Carter. His annual golf tournament has raised thousands of dollars for his charities, helping kids in Toronto achieve their dreams. Joe has always been bigger than life, as they say, both on the field and off it.

He played seven years in Toronto from 1991 through the 1997 campaign. He had remarkable stamina over his 16-year career: four times he played in all 162 games, and five other times, played between 155 and 158 games. He was also a model of consistency, with remarkable numbers at the plate in the 1992 and 1993 seasons. In 1992, he hit 34 home runs with 119 RBIs and 30 doubles. The very next year, he hit 33 home runs with 121 RBIs and 33 doubles. Joe will always be known for his 1993 walk-off World Series home run against Philadelphia Phillies closer Mitch Williams in Game 6, winning it, 8–6. There are a couple of other things people might not be aware of that makes that one swing so special.

My late partner, Tom Cheek, was at the microphone when Carter lined his walk-off home run down the left-field line and into the Blue Jays bullpen. Joe was watching it all the way as he ran down the first base line. He knew it was fair and was just waiting for the baseball to disappear into the bullpen. When it did, he began jumping up and down in pure joy as he approached the first base bag, paving the way for Tom’s iconic and beautiful in-the-moment call: “Touch ’em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life.” The best calls are spontaneous: if you try to rehearse them, as some broadcasters do, you lose the effect that has your heart jump during the moment. Tom made this call looking at Joe jumping up and down on his way to first. Tom did not want Joe to miss first base in all the excitement and later be called out for doing so. His call was perfect and came at just the right moment.

After the game, my wife, Mary, was visiting with Joe’s mom and asked, “What were you thinking when you saw your son hit the home run and jump up and down with such excitement?” With a big bright smile on her face, she said, “My son, the kangaroo!” She captured the moment for all of us.

When people ask me why I love baseball so much, I tell them because of the rich history. It’s a game that features twice the number of games of any other sport and has such amazing and unique trivia that you can only marvel in looking back. Joe’s home run was a part of that.

Only twice in major league history has a World Series ended with a walk-off home run. In 1960, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski homered off the Yankees’ Ralph Terry in Game 7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.