Happy Birthday, Dad Sandy Alomar Jr. Has Another Important Hit For Cleveland
Maybe Sandy Alomar Jr. should pick up the World Series MVP trophy right now. The way his season is going, it may be inevitable.
He hits, he throws, he does it all.
And he even gives tape-measure birthday gifts to his dad, Sandy Alomar Sr.
“I thought it would be cheaper than buying a present,” Alomar said, joking.
He could laugh easily. So could the Indians.
Alomar snuffed out Florida’s potential go-ahead rally and hit a two-run homer in a 6-1 victory over the Marlins on Sunday that tied the Series, 1-1.
“He called me this morning and was telling me I forgot to tell him happy birthday,” Alomar said. “I redeemed myself and gave him a home run.”
Of course he celebrated his dad’s 54th in style. Alomar has flashed a dramatic flair at nearly every key moment this season.
He had a 30-game hitting streak at the break, then became the All-Star game’s MVP with a two-run homer at Jacobs Field. He drove in four runs in the division-clinching win against New York, then saved the Indians from first-round elimination with a Game 4 homer against the Yankees.
In the league championship series, he hit the game-winning single that gave Cleveland a 3-1 series lead against Baltimore.
After five straight injury-shortened seasons, he’s become one of the best catchers in the game.
“In 1990, when I was rookie of the year, I thought I had the whole world in front of me,” he said. “I thought it was unfair that every year I had some injuries. I couldn’t prove my talent. I didn’t have a chance to perform.”
The biggie was in the division series. Cleveland was four outs away from losing in the first round for the second straight year. Then he homered against Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera.
“He has swung the bat well from day one of spring training,” Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. “Two weeks into the season, he was hitting .365. At the All-Star break, I was wondering how long he can keep doing it. Here we are in the postseason, and he’s still doing it very well.”
In the A.L. championship series, he usually seemed to be Alomar No. 2. Every few innings, brother Roberto - Baltimore’s second baseman - seemed to be taking a hit away.
He was just 3 for 24 against the Orioles, and was 1 for 5 in the World Series opener.
The game Sunday night was 1-1 in the fourth inning when he started to make his mark, after Moises Alou led off with a double. Alou took off for third on Charles Johnson’s slow roller and Alomar fired a strike to Matt Williams, who tagged him out.
“That was a big-time play,” Hargrove said.
Cleveland then went ahead with a three-run fifth, and Alomar hit his fourth postseason homer an inning later, a knockout punch that seemed to sap the Marlins and their fans.
He seems to be in the middle of everything this season, at the plate in just the right moment to deliver the all-important hit.
And, tongue in cheek, he said he knew why.
“A friend of mine’s little kid, Spencer Castro, gave me a powerful gum that I chewed the whole game,” he said.
When you’re a World Series star, the jokes come easily.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SERIES SCHEDULE All games televised on NBC Saturday: Florida 7, Cleveland 4 Sunday: Cleveland 6, Florida 1 Tuesday: at Cleveland, 5:20 Wednesday: at Cleveland, 5:20 Thursday: at Cleveland, 5:20 Saturday: at Florida, 5* Sunday: at Florida, 4:35* *-if necessary.