Tweet
Piazza Ties Home Run Record for Catchers
Wed Apr 28, 10:07 AM
Mike Piazza caught Carlton Fisk, and Chad Moeller hit for the cycle. Quite a night for catchers in the National League. Piazza tied Fisk's major league record of 351 home runs as a catcher, hitting a tiebreaking shot to help the visiting New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 on Tuesday.
Moeller became the first Brewers player to hit for the cycle since Paul Molitor in 1991, and Milwaukee rallied past the Cincinnati Reds 9-8 at Miller Park.
Molitor will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. Robin Yount, already enshrined in Cooperstown, also accomplished the feat with Milwaukee in 1988 - but Moeller is the first Brewers player to do it at home.
"It's pretty darn cool to be in that company. They are some of the best that have ever played the game," Moeller said. "I am nowhere even in the ZIP code of being with those guys. But with this one little silly stat I am."
In other NL games, it was: Philadelphia 7, St. Louis 3; Colorado 13, Florida 10; Arizona 10, Chicago 1; San Diego 3, Montreal 0; and Atlanta 12, San Francisco 3.
Houston's game at Pittsburgh was postponed because of rain and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sept. 9.
Milwaukee won on pinch-hitter Bill Hall's two-run homer off Danny Graves (0-2) with two outs in the ninth inning.
Fighting muscle aches and chills the past few days, Moeller homered in the second, doubled in the fourth, tripled in the fifth and singled in the seventh.
Acquired from Arizona last offseason in the Richie Sexson trade, Moeller became the fifth Brewers player to accomplish the feat. The unheralded catcher earned a standing ovation from the second-smallest crowd (8,918) in Miller Park history.
"I really do feel under the weather," he said. "My whole focus was really just getting through nine innings behind the plate somehow, some way."
Piazza, who hit his first 177 homers with the Dodgers, went 16 games without one after connecting twice at Atlanta on April 7.
"I've been thinking about it a little bit lately, so I'm hoping I can get one more and kind of turn the page and get it over with," Piazza said.
The 10-time All-Star ended the drought against former batterymate Hideo Nomo (3-2), lining his fourth homer of the season to left-center in the sixth inning for a 4-3 lead.
"It's special to do it here, no question about it," said Piazza, the first Dodger to hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium. "I came up through this organization and they gave me a chance when no one else did. It means a lot. It really does. It's a little emotional for me."
It was Piazza's 362nd home run overall, moving him past Joe DiMaggio into 58th place on the career list - seven behind Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner.
Tom Glavine (3-1) gave up three runs in six innings.
Wed Apr 28, 10:07 AM
Mike Piazza caught Carlton Fisk, and Chad Moeller hit for the cycle. Quite a night for catchers in the National League. Piazza tied Fisk's major league record of 351 home runs as a catcher, hitting a tiebreaking shot to help the visiting New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 on Tuesday.
Moeller became the first Brewers player to hit for the cycle since Paul Molitor in 1991, and Milwaukee rallied past the Cincinnati Reds 9-8 at Miller Park.
Molitor will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. Robin Yount, already enshrined in Cooperstown, also accomplished the feat with Milwaukee in 1988 - but Moeller is the first Brewers player to do it at home.
"It's pretty darn cool to be in that company. They are some of the best that have ever played the game," Moeller said. "I am nowhere even in the ZIP code of being with those guys. But with this one little silly stat I am."
In other NL games, it was: Philadelphia 7, St. Louis 3; Colorado 13, Florida 10; Arizona 10, Chicago 1; San Diego 3, Montreal 0; and Atlanta 12, San Francisco 3.
Houston's game at Pittsburgh was postponed because of rain and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sept. 9.
Milwaukee won on pinch-hitter Bill Hall's two-run homer off Danny Graves (0-2) with two outs in the ninth inning.
Fighting muscle aches and chills the past few days, Moeller homered in the second, doubled in the fourth, tripled in the fifth and singled in the seventh.
Acquired from Arizona last offseason in the Richie Sexson trade, Moeller became the fifth Brewers player to accomplish the feat. The unheralded catcher earned a standing ovation from the second-smallest crowd (8,918) in Miller Park history.
"I really do feel under the weather," he said. "My whole focus was really just getting through nine innings behind the plate somehow, some way."
Piazza, who hit his first 177 homers with the Dodgers, went 16 games without one after connecting twice at Atlanta on April 7.
"I've been thinking about it a little bit lately, so I'm hoping I can get one more and kind of turn the page and get it over with," Piazza said.
The 10-time All-Star ended the drought against former batterymate Hideo Nomo (3-2), lining his fourth homer of the season to left-center in the sixth inning for a 4-3 lead.
"It's special to do it here, no question about it," said Piazza, the first Dodger to hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium. "I came up through this organization and they gave me a chance when no one else did. It means a lot. It really does. It's a little emotional for me."
It was Piazza's 362nd home run overall, moving him past Joe DiMaggio into 58th place on the career list - seven behind Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner.
Tom Glavine (3-1) gave up three runs in six innings.
Comment