Ralph Branca threw one bad pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers 50 years ago and hasn’t stopped hearing about it since.
It was Branca’s misfortune to serve up Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard around the world,” the famous home run that vaulted the New York Giants into the 1951 World Series.
Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim gave up three momentous home runs in a 24-hour span in Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series. This weekend how the young Korean sidearmer responds may have a big say in whether the Diamondbacks can pull off a comeback of their own.
Arizona manager Bob Brenly, whose faith in the 22-year-old Kim ultimately may result in him being tagged as the Ralph Branca of managers, said Friday he’s not worried about his shell-shocked closer.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Brenly said. “He’s a very resilient kid. I know much has been made about the language difference and the culture difference and all that stuff, but baseball is baseball. He understands his importance to this ballclub.
“I’m sure he’s very disappointed he was not able to close out Games 4 and 5, but I don’t think that’s going to affect the way he pitches if we need him.”
Kim originally was the set-up man for Matt Mantei this past spring, but was made the closer after Mantei was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He converted 19 of 23 save opportunities in the regular season and led all National League relievers by holding opposing hitters to a .173 average.
Mark Grace put his arm around Kim after the pitcher crouched on the mound in total dejection after serving up the game-tying, ninth-inning home run to Scott Brosius in Game 5. The rest of Kim’s teammates also have taken pains to assure him they still believe in him, including outfielder Luis Gonzalez, who consoled Kim on the plane ride back to Phoenix.
“We stick together,” Gonzalez said. “What has happened the last two days is not his fault. It’s all of our faults. We failed to execute on a lot of plays. We don’t drop the hammer on one guy. . . . He’s going to be all right and everybody in here, on our team, has confidence in him if he gets the ball on Saturday or Sunday. He’s the go-to guy for us.”
