Jeff Kent tied a single-game Fall Classic record in 2002. He touched home four times in one game. Let's put it this way, it's a record that you're better of tying. Look at the names that are all around you when you do that!
Kent, who I first saw as a member of the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays (Sadly, he was traded for David Cone in a deal late in the season, and missed out on going to the Fall Classic his first year in the bigs), had an interesting, to say the least, relationship with Barry Bonds on the San Francisco Giants. But still, they helped make the Giants a great team in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was not as if Jeff took a backseat to Barry all the time. In 1999, he took home the National League MVP.
The famous shoving match with Bonds seemed to pay off more than hurt. As least initially. San Francisco, forever the underachievers since Bonds arrived in 1993, suddenly became a team to look out for. Actually, in 1996, the year before Kent's arrival, the Giants had skidded for the third straight year. Bonds arrival in 1993 boalstered the Giants to an amazing 103 wins. Three seasons following that, the best San Fran could muster was 68 wins. In 1997, they won 90 games. San Francisco would not finish below .500 again until 2005!
But that shoving match? That was in 2002. All the Giants did was win 95 games that year and make it to the Fall Classic. They won 100 games (In 161 opportunities) the next season. Maybe it was just what the doctor ordered.
So, the Giants edged Atlanta 3-2 in the NLDS. Then, they beat St. Louis, 4-1 in the NLCS. Four more wins and San Francisco would have their first Fall Classic triumph since moving from New York for the 1958 season.
The Giants faced the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series. The eked out a 4-3 win in game one, right there at The Big A. But game two was a wild one. Bonds scored three runs, one short of the World Series record for one game. But his team lost 11-10. But with the split, it was heading home for the Giants for the next three games.
But Anaheim scored another ten runs (To the Giants' four) and took game three. Now the pressure shifted to the home team to respond. They sure did in game four. They took a close 4-3 score, despite both Bonds and Kent going the entire game without a hit. Now, they had to win game five, too.
Kent sure helped. After Kenny Lofton led off the bottom of the first with a single, Kent came to the plate one out later. He walked. And his good friend Bonds drove him home with a double. 1-0, Giants. It was 3-0 by the end of the inning. San Francisco kept pilling 'em up!
Next inning, Kent hit a double following another Lofton single plus an out. Bonds walked. All three scored to pretty much put this thing out of reach almost before the game had started.
The Angels scored four times to cut the lead to just 6-4, but Kent was not done. Hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, the Giants were up by four runs. Bonds doubled and was stranded, however.
Lofton tripled home two more runners in the very next inning. Kent was back to the dish, having scored three runs. One more, and he ties the record! And he did just that in style. Stroking another two-run home run, he not only made it a 12-4 game, but he put himself in the record book. Could he score five?
The Giants sure weren't finished with the fun. It was their day, you see! They'd score four more times in this one before the game was over. Anaheim? They were done coming home. But for Jeff, time was running out.
The Giants scored four more times in the bottom of the eighth, to make it 16-4. The outburst brought Kent back to the plate with the bases empty and two outs. So this was his last crack. Alas, he could only fly out to left on a 1-1 pitch. Anaheim was retired 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth.
Kent, if you can believe it, did not score another run the Fall Classic. San Francisco ultimately lost the next two games, so he and Bonds were denied the opportunity to drink the champagne. Kent was no longer a Giant the next season, and neither he nor Bonds would ever return to the Fall Classic. Too bad.
But Jeff had done something not ever Barry had done. By crossing the plate four times, he put himself in quite some company. Only nine other players have done it in the long history of the World Series. Among them, Babe Ruth, Earl Combs, Enos Slaughter, Reggie Jackson and Kirby Puckett. All Hall Of Famers. Kent, in his first two years on the ballot, hasn't gotten much support, and his ever being enshrined is looking like a long shot. But regardless, his name is in the record book with those inductees for most runs scored in one Fall Classic game, four.
References
MLB.com
http://www.baseball-reference.com
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/
Kent, who I first saw as a member of the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays (Sadly, he was traded for David Cone in a deal late in the season, and missed out on going to the Fall Classic his first year in the bigs), had an interesting, to say the least, relationship with Barry Bonds on the San Francisco Giants. But still, they helped make the Giants a great team in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was not as if Jeff took a backseat to Barry all the time. In 1999, he took home the National League MVP.
The famous shoving match with Bonds seemed to pay off more than hurt. As least initially. San Francisco, forever the underachievers since Bonds arrived in 1993, suddenly became a team to look out for. Actually, in 1996, the year before Kent's arrival, the Giants had skidded for the third straight year. Bonds arrival in 1993 boalstered the Giants to an amazing 103 wins. Three seasons following that, the best San Fran could muster was 68 wins. In 1997, they won 90 games. San Francisco would not finish below .500 again until 2005!
But that shoving match? That was in 2002. All the Giants did was win 95 games that year and make it to the Fall Classic. They won 100 games (In 161 opportunities) the next season. Maybe it was just what the doctor ordered.
So, the Giants edged Atlanta 3-2 in the NLDS. Then, they beat St. Louis, 4-1 in the NLCS. Four more wins and San Francisco would have their first Fall Classic triumph since moving from New York for the 1958 season.
The Giants faced the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series. The eked out a 4-3 win in game one, right there at The Big A. But game two was a wild one. Bonds scored three runs, one short of the World Series record for one game. But his team lost 11-10. But with the split, it was heading home for the Giants for the next three games.
But Anaheim scored another ten runs (To the Giants' four) and took game three. Now the pressure shifted to the home team to respond. They sure did in game four. They took a close 4-3 score, despite both Bonds and Kent going the entire game without a hit. Now, they had to win game five, too.
Kent sure helped. After Kenny Lofton led off the bottom of the first with a single, Kent came to the plate one out later. He walked. And his good friend Bonds drove him home with a double. 1-0, Giants. It was 3-0 by the end of the inning. San Francisco kept pilling 'em up!
Next inning, Kent hit a double following another Lofton single plus an out. Bonds walked. All three scored to pretty much put this thing out of reach almost before the game had started.
The Angels scored four times to cut the lead to just 6-4, but Kent was not done. Hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, the Giants were up by four runs. Bonds doubled and was stranded, however.
Lofton tripled home two more runners in the very next inning. Kent was back to the dish, having scored three runs. One more, and he ties the record! And he did just that in style. Stroking another two-run home run, he not only made it a 12-4 game, but he put himself in the record book. Could he score five?
The Giants sure weren't finished with the fun. It was their day, you see! They'd score four more times in this one before the game was over. Anaheim? They were done coming home. But for Jeff, time was running out.
The Giants scored four more times in the bottom of the eighth, to make it 16-4. The outburst brought Kent back to the plate with the bases empty and two outs. So this was his last crack. Alas, he could only fly out to left on a 1-1 pitch. Anaheim was retired 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth.
Kent, if you can believe it, did not score another run the Fall Classic. San Francisco ultimately lost the next two games, so he and Bonds were denied the opportunity to drink the champagne. Kent was no longer a Giant the next season, and neither he nor Bonds would ever return to the Fall Classic. Too bad.
But Jeff had done something not ever Barry had done. By crossing the plate four times, he put himself in quite some company. Only nine other players have done it in the long history of the World Series. Among them, Babe Ruth, Earl Combs, Enos Slaughter, Reggie Jackson and Kirby Puckett. All Hall Of Famers. Kent, in his first two years on the ballot, hasn't gotten much support, and his ever being enshrined is looking like a long shot. But regardless, his name is in the record book with those inductees for most runs scored in one Fall Classic game, four.
References
MLB.com
http://www.baseball-reference.com
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/
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