Hall of Fame player.
Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro recites the names – Hank Aaron,
Willie Mays, Eddie Murray – and says he doesn’t belong in their class. But a
run-scoring double last night put him on the roll call.
Palmeiro became only the fourth player to accumulate 500 home runs and
3,000 hits in a career when he lined a fastball from Joel Pineiro into the
left-field corner with one out in the fifth inning in the Orioles’ 6-3 victory
over the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, ending a wait that seemed much
longer to the man who endured it.
Players from both teams leaned on the dugout railings as Palmeiro came to
the plate, his first two at-bats resulting in a walk and a groundout. He lined
a 2-2 pitch the opposite way, the ball bouncing in front of the fence, to
score Melvin Mora at 11:26 Eastern time.
In unison, manager Lee Mazzilli, pitching coach Ray Miller and shortstop
Miguel Tejada pointed at Palmeiro as he stood at second base. Tejada motioned
for everyone to follow him onto the field, and hugs were exchanged as the
Orioles’ bullpen emptied to join a celebration that lasted about three
minutes.
Mazzilli clutched the ball for safekeeping, and players applauded Palmeiro
before returning to the dugout. Palmeiro held his batting helmet in the air to
acknowledge the crowd, and television cameras caught him hiding his face, and
his emotions, in a towel after scoring on Jay Gibbons’ double.
Staying hot in the thick of a pennant race, Palmeiro also singled in the
seventh inning to move past Roberto Clemente for 25th place on the all-time
list.
“It was emotional,” Palmeiro said. “I wasn’t expecting that. I thought
maybe for a second or two the game would stop and then we could start again.
But they came out and I was very honored.”
Needing one more hit, Palmeiro walked on five pitches in the first inning,
the last a low fastball. He took a strike in his next at-bat before bouncing
to first baseman Richie Sexson, whose homer off Rodrigo Lopez (9-5) had
reduced the Orioles’ lead to 3-1.
History would wait, but not much longer.
“I was just trying to drive the runner in,” he said. “I was just trying to
do my thing, keep it simple. I was numb going around the bases, and for the
most part I don’t remember anything, but it was nice.”
Palmeiro joined a select group of players – all of them in the Hall of
Fame. He’ll most likely follow them there five years after his retirement,
rarefied company that overwhelms a man whose statistics scream out that he
belongs but whose heart tells a different story.
“I’m not so sure my name should be mentioned with those guys,” he said. “My
numbers say different, but I still don’t feel I should be mentioned with
Willie Mays and Henry Aaron. Those two guys are arguably the two best players
of all time.”
Only 26 players have recorded 3,000 hits in major league history. Rickey
Henderson was the most recent to do it on Oct. 7, 2001, with the San Diego
Padres. Cal Ripken did it on April 15, 2000, against the Minnesota Twins.
“I’ve been lucky, and I’ve played for a long time,” Palmeiro said. “I’m very
thankful to have an opportunity to play for this long.”
Palmeiro became the 19th player to collect 500 home runs, and the second
born outside the United States, on May 11, 2003, with the Texas Rangers. He
re-signed with the Orioles the following winter and continued his march to
Cooperstown, N.Y., each step taken so quietly that many fans hardly seemed to
notice.
“I have to say this is one of the most important moments of my career,” he
said.
It was embraced by everyone in uniform.
“I think it’s a kind of time that you get goose bumps when you see it,”
Mazzilli said. “Miggy was next to me and I said, `Miggy, we’ve got to go. I
think we have to go on the field.'”
Said Larry Bigbie: “It’s kind of different to go out there in the middle of
the ballgame. I mean, what do you say to a guy like that? It’s almost like
`congratulations’ isn’t enough.”
Palmeiro’s first career hit came on Sept. 8, 1986 against Philadelphia
Phillies pitcher Tom Hume. “It was a line drive to left-center field,” he
said. Back then, he was a skinny outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, more capable
of reaching the gaps than the seats.
His power would develop later. So would his Hall of Fame credentials.
“Smooth and steady,” third base coach Tom Trebelhorn said. “It’s the same
rhythm from a long time ago. Certainly, age changes some things, but his
mechanics are still there.”
Palmeiro’s 1,000th career hit came on May 16, 1993, against Alex Fernandez.
No. 2,000 arrived on May 2, 1999, against Rich DeLucia.
The pursuit of 3,000 has become a family affair. Oldest son Patrick, 15,
serves as a bat boy. Youngest son Preston, 10, operates the video camera as if
filming a documentary. Both of them left their temporary jobs last night to
join in the hugs.
“For them to be a part of that and be out there with me, I’ll never forget
it and I hope they don’t either,” Palmeiro said.
The Orioles (49-40) remain one game behind the Boston Red Sox in the
American League East. They’ve taken five of their last six, getting home runs
from Mora and Sal Fasano last night. B.J. Ryan pitched a perfect ninth for his
21st save.
A game was won. Far more memorable was how history was made.
Orioles tonight
Opponent: Seattle Mariners
Site, time: Safeco Field, Seattle, 10:05
TV/Radio: Ch. 54/WBAL (1090 AM)
Starters: Orioles’ Bruce Chen (7-5, 3.87) vs. Mariners’ Jamie Moyer (8-3,
4.64)